Estonia's Love Life
by Blood Dark Sun
Summary: Estonia is fed up with being alone and he's on a methodical quest to find a partner. Any partner! Armed with a multilayered spreadsheet and heaps of optimism, he begins working his way down an alphabetical listing of nations. Takes place in the Skirmish Brothers universe. Rated T for language and innuendo.
1. Prologue: The Planning Stages

_This takes place in the Skirmish Brothers universe, so there are a lot of preestablished relationships. At this point it's mid-June, right after Denmark's birthday party at the water park (chapter 44 of Skirmish Brothers)._

…

**Prologue: The Planning Stages.**

Estonia sat before his computer screen. He was very pleased that he'd invested in anti-glare coating on his latest pair of glasses. The Baltic nation was working on a spreadsheet. It was quite involved already.

First layer: just two columns, _Nation _and _Available._

In the Nation column he had alphabetized all the nations. In the Available column he'd put either a Y, if they weren't dating anyone, and if they were dating, the name of that nation's partner. If he wasn't sure, he left it blank.

Estonia loved spreadsheets. They were so orderly and easy to control. And he liked this one because America headed the list. He'd always had a little bit of a crush on that loud blond.

But America was dating Austria, right now. So he reluctantly put "Austria" in the second column and moved on.

In just half an hour he'd filled in the whole first layer of the spreadsheet. He had a very methodical plan. He'd start at the top of the list – in this case with Australia – and work his way down. The second layer of the spreadsheet contained notes about each nation. Notes like birthdays, right now, but he planned to expand it to include national festivals, favorite colors, and so on.

Who was off the list at the moment? America, of course, and Austria, his boyfriend. Denmark and Prussia, England and Romano, Germany and Italy. Sweden and Finland. Iceland and Liechtenstein. Poland and Lithuania. He was very jealous of them all (except maybe Lithuania).

Estonia was _determined_ to get a date. Man or woman, he didn't care; he was tired of being alone. Lithuania was always with Poland, and Latvia was too young, and he absolutely was not interested in any relationship with Russia.

The only other nation completely off the list was Sealand, who, technically, wasn't a real nation. But also, he was too young. Someday, Estonia suspected, Sealand and Latvia would grow up and be together. But that wasn't the point of this exercise.

He opened his email and composed a very matter-of-fact note to Australia, requesting a date. He wasn't fond of koala bears, but hoped that if he got a date out of this, the bear wouldn't accompany them. Of the large distance between their houses, he thought not at all. He was willing to go that far afield – halfway around the world! – if it meant he could be happy with another nation.

The Baltic nation hit the Send button and went to bed in an optimistic frame of mind.

…

_So, everywhere I look lately, Estonian things are catching my attention, not just that yarn I mentioned. I figured this was Estonia's way of forcing me to make him a main character in a story. This is also going to be an exercise for me to research characters I'm not really familiar with, and get to know them, instead of writing about the Euro boys and America all the time. He's going to work through the whole alphabet of canon nations. I'm guessing, at this point, that Estonia's dates will be more crack than not. Anagrams may be involved._


	2. A Date Down Under

**A Date Down Under.**

He was quite optimistic. From what he knew of Australia, that nation was quite fun-loving! He hoped their date would include one of those famous barbeques he'd heard so much about. Laying back in the sun, on the beach – Estonia was very excited about that. He might even try a Foster's.

He had dressed in a nice casual outfit of pressed chino shorts and a purple polo shirt with socks and hiking boots, because he knew the terrain might be difficult for walking. He could always take his boots off, if they went to the beach. In his pocket he kept his smartphone with his spreadsheet so that he could make quick notes about his date, and in his left hand he carried a lush bouquet of blue cornflowers, native to his land. He loved that color and often wished his eyes were that beautiful blue.

But when he arrived in Sydney it was _freezing!_ What on earth? It was June, and yet residents were going about their business in cold-weather gear; Estonia, jacketless in shorts, felt extremely silly. Were they having an unseasonably cold summer? He whipped out his phone to check historical weather data, but before he could find out, Australia himself was standing before him.

"G'day, Estonia! Wow, you're really brave, dressed like that! Aren't you cold?" His host's green eyes, so like his own, stared at the beach outfit.

"I'm _very_ cold!" Estonia felt like a dork. "Why is it so cold in June?"

"Ah ha ha ha! You didn't think about the fact that my home is in the southern hemisphere, did you? It's all right. Lots of travelers forget. Here, wear my coat. I can deal with it for a little while." Australia took off his heavy overcoat and offered it to his guest.

Estonia was charmed and snuggled gratefully into the warm, sheepskin coat, which smelled vaguely of eucalyptus. He was also happy that evil koala bear was nowhere in sight. "Oh! Here. I brought you some cornflowers, the national flower of my country." He extended the bouquet to his host.

"Thanks, mate! These are pretty. Come on back to my place; I'll put 'em in water. I thought we could have supper together before going to the Opera House. I love to show off that place."

The Opera House? Estonia panicked; he wasn't dressed for something nice like the Opera! "But – but I – " He gestured to his outfit in a panic.

Australia laughed and took his hand easily. "Don't worry. I just meant for a little tour. It is one of the most famous buildings in the world."

"Whew. I know, though. It's a very striking building." He was so pleased that Australia was already holding his hand! Despite his weather-related gaffe, things seemed to be moving along well. He followed the brunet out the door of the airport.

Outside it was very windy and he was grateful to have the added layer of Australia's coat. His host led him to a little blue Holden and they got inside.

Ah, it was nice and warm in the car. "Heated seats, yeah?" Australia grinned.

"Very nice. I should look into those for my next car." Estonia relaxed against the seat as they moved into traffic. He glanced around out the window. "I've done a little research on your homeland," he pointed out, but before he could speak further Australia began laughing at him.

"Not enough, shorts-boy! Though they are nice shorts. Hey, I bet you were hoping to have a cookout on the beach, weren't you?" The brunet laughed loud and long. "Ah, no matter. You can come back sometime in December and we can do that."

Cheeks burning, Estonia simply smiled. He was a little afraid to say anything, now.

Suddenly he felt a tap on his shoulder and turned in the car seat to see that koala bear smirking at him. "Aah!" He jumped a little.

"Oh, don't mind him. Sit down, Rincewind. Stop bothering Estonia." The bear kept smirking but sat back into the seat.

"Rincewind? From the Discworld books?"

"You know them?" Australia beamed, pulling into his driveway. "Yeah."

"I like those books a lot. England and I once had a long talk about them, though he – he believes the Discworld is actually real." Estonia blushed at voicing such silliness.

"Eh, England believes a lot of weird shit. Just ignore him. Come on, let's go inside and eat."

The three of them went into the house. "Nice place. Very roomy."

"Yeah, though it's a bit bleak yet." Nice smells were coming from the kitchen. "Come on in. Want a beer?"

"I'd enjoy a beer very much." Estonia slipped out of the warm overcoat and looked for a closet to hang it in.

"Just throw it on the chair. Come into the kitchen."

…

Australia had done a good job of cooking the famous shrimp on his kitchen range. "Too bloody cold to fire up the barbie, mate," he'd laughed.

The food was delicious, if a bit bizarre, although Estonia was not too pleased with the foreign beer. He much preferred the beers of Germany, especially those brewed in what used to be Prussia. But he tactfully refrained from saying this to his host.

"Ready to go?" Australia asked, once the dishes had been cleaned up.

"Yes, that's fine." Estonia was still a little nervous. So far their conversation had been somewhat generic, touching on the weather, cultural events, and so on. Estonia had asked a lot of questions about Australia's festivals and culture, but the brunet did not seem to be interested in finding out about the Baltic nation's lifestyle. He wondered why.

He also wondered if they would be touring the Opera House privately. Maybe there was some dark corner where he could sneak a kiss? Australia was very rugged. He liked that.

This time his host lent him a different coat, shrugging into his big sheepskin one himself, and they rushed off to the Opera House, leaving the bear at home.

…

Up close the famous building looked much more approachable: just a building, rather than a cultural icon of a nation. Large tour groups of many nationalities progressed through the building, but Australia led his date on a private tour, proudly discussing the architecture, the famous performances, the resident companies. Estonia liked it very much, and said so – and this was not simply because he wanted to please his date. He'd done his homework on the famous building, of course, but it was much more pleasant to have the personal tour. And Australia kept holding his hand.

"Thank you for this," he said wonderingly, at one point.

"No worries, mate!" Australia drew him into a dark corner and with no preamble began kissing him. What? Wow! Estonia did his best to cope with this sudden onslaught, even though they were in a public place.

When they broke apart Australia grinned at him. "Eh, not bad. Come on, let's go." He dragged the bemused Baltic along through well-lit corridors, continuing the tour.

There were no more sudden kiss attacks. After the tour, Australia suggested a visit to a bar.

"I – I'd love to, but it's getting late. I need to head for home." Estonia felt very silly once again. Having come this far around the world, he should have brought an overnight bag.

"That's too bad! We could've hit the piss in town. Well, I'll take you to the airport. Leave me my coat, yeah?" Australia swept them down to the car in a whirlwind of talk and laughter. 'Hit the piss'? Estonia had a lot of research to do when he got home!

As they stood in the airport's departures hall, Estonia – who was still quite dazed from this bizarre date – put his arms tentatively around Australia and asked him to come visit the Baltic nation next weekend.

"Eh, can't do it, mate," the brunet said, kissing him. "Got a date with Korea."

"What?" Estonia was so startled he jumped back. "You're dating Korea? Then why did you go on a date with me?"

Australia laughed. "Settle down. I'll go on a date with anybody who asks me, except bloody England," he explained. "Week after that I'm hoping to get China down here to play for a bit, but that bloke's a tough conquest."

"I see." Estonia adjusted his glasses, trying to recover his equanimity. "I – I don't think that's the kind of relationship I'm looking for, though," he pointed out quietly, with a blush.

"'S all right, mate! You were a lot of fun in your silly shorts! Have a good flight back; I'll see you at the meetings sometime?" Australia took his coat back and waved as a dejected Estonia headed towards the gates. "We can get together then!"

Estonia waved sadly without looking back. Back to the drawing board.

…

_I wasn't planning to write this chapter yet but Estonia is bombarding me! Just today I got two spam emails from people in Estonia._

_So I know a guy who looks like Estonia and is pretty anal-retentive and obsessed with technology; that's kind of what I'm basing my Estonia on. If you want to give me more pointers please do. I did check the wiki but other than the "making snacks at Russia's house" I don't remember much from the anime. I'll try to finesse him into a more in-depth character as we go along._

_As for his dates, I'm trying to incorporate a mix of canon stuff from the wiki, show and books; common knowledge stereotypes of the country; and online facts about the country. This was a tough chapter because there's not much canon to go on, with Australia. _

_In the Discworld books, Rincewind was accidentally transported to the analog of Australia and saved it from a drought that would have ended all life on the continent. Since I could find no canon name for Australia's bear, Rincewind seemed just as good as any other name, though the way it's drawn makes me think more of the Librarian. _

_Next up: Belarus._


	3. A Date in Hell

**A Date in Hell.**

It was time for a world meeting. Belarus was next on Estonia's spreadsheet, and he had been considering how to approach her. And knowing her as well as he did, he finally concluded that the best way to ask her for a date was not to email her ahead of time, but to spring it on her in person, on the day he wanted to go out.

After all, if she had plans, or something, well, that wouldn't be _Estonia's_ fault, now would it? And then he could mark her off the spreadsheet and move on.

So he'd decided to talk to her about a date on the last day of this week-long meeting in Japan. He headed downstairs. Austria greeted him pleasantly on his way to the buffet table.

Belarus actually looked pretty normal today. Maybe he'd have some luck. He got some coffee and sat at the table near Latvia, taking out his laptop. He had his spreadsheet with him, but didn't feel the need to open it.

America was making a lot of noise about something. Estonia looked up and saw him joking with Denmark and his friends. They all seemed to have such a good time together.

Wait! Austria was…over there. But America was over _there!_ Had they broken up? Oh, dear. This would mess up the entire spreadsheet, because he was into the B's already, and they were both A's. Estonia quickly pulled up the spreadsheet and glanced at the columns he already knew by heart. Oh, bother. If Austria and America were both free, then he had to make a decision. Press forward with Belarus, and through the alphabet, as he'd originally planned? Or jump out of the progression to go back and ask one of the A's for a date?

Well, he hadn't planned to talk to Belarus until the last day. So, rather than panicking, Estonia allowed himself the luxury of putting this decision off until later. Japan got the meeting started, and he began to assiduously take notes, from time to time glancing at America, Austria, or Belarus.

…

In the end the Baltic nation simply could not make himself go back in the alphabet to ask either of the A nations for a date. On Friday he left the room with most of the others, following closely behind Belarus, hoping he could get her alone.

Yes! She turned down a corridor while the others streamed towards the restaurant. Estonia followed; after a few steps he cleared his throat and said, "Ahem. Belarus?"

"Yes, what do you want?" she asked, when she saw him. "Hurry it up. I'm starving. That stupid Japan – "

"I was wondering whether you'd like to have dinner with me tonight." Wow! He hadn't stammered once!

Belarus' eyes widened. "You're serious? Did Brother Russia put you up to this as some kind of joke?"

"What? No! I'm completely sincere. I – I'd like to go on a date with you." Not entirely true. He'd like to go on a date with _someone_, and she was next on the list. But he wouldn't tell her that.

She tapped her foot, thinking. "Yes, all right. Meet me here in half an hour. I have some things to do."

Estonia nodded, hardly able to believe it had been so easy. "Half an hour it is, then," he smiled, heading towards his room to freshen up.

…

"What restaurant are you taking me to?" she demanded.

"What would you like to eat? There are a lot of international restaurants around this area." Estonia smiled politely and extended his hand to the blonde, who ignored it.

"Any Russian restaurants?" Her tone was distant.

Oh, dear. Perhaps he should have expected something like this. "Let me check." He motioned her towards the edge of the sidewalk, where she stood tapping her foot while he checked his smartphone. "No. I don't see a single Russian restaurant within a ten-mile radius." Estonia scrolled through a few more pages of entries. "There's an Italian place?" he asked, hopefully.

"No, Italian won't do. Let's see if there's a McDonald's." She took the phone from him and began scrolling.

_McDonald's_? He couldn't possibly have heard Belarus correctly. But rather than ask her to repeat herself, he'd just wait and see where they ended up for dinner. Why not? It might be an adventure.

"Yes! Come on, there's one right down the road," she said, handing the phone back. This time, she took his hand, which surprised and pleased the Baltic nation, but unnerved him a little bit too.

Yes, she was taking him to McDonald's. Unbelievable. Also unbelievable was how fast she could move down the street in those heels. He had to scramble to keep up! "You actually like this place?" he dared ask.

She dropped his hand. "Russia likes this place. It's not that bad." They stood in line and ordered; Estonia paid the small amount for their meals. "Thanks."

"It's not a problem, Belarus. I'm glad you came out with me tonight." He wanted to steer her away from the topic of Russia, though having lived with them both for so long he knew that would be a tough prospect.

They got their trays and sat to eat in the harsh lighting. The restaurant was fairly quiet for this hour. "Have you any national festivals coming up?"

"You know when my national festivals are!" She scowled at him, picking up her Big Mac. "At least, you _should_ know. Don't you know? At the end of July is the date I declared my independence from the Soviets." She shuddered a little and drank some of her milkshake.

"Oh, yes. I'd forgotten." Estonia was a little nervous again.

"Listen, why did you ask me on a date anyway? All of a sudden you're interested in me? Very strange, if you ask me. I wish I'd had time to ask Big Brother some questions about you."

"What questions?" Estonia was baffled. "You know just as much about me as I know about you." He couldn't resist adding a teasing comment: "At least, you _should_ know. Don't you know?" He playfully matched his tone to the one she'd used earlier.

Apparently Belarus didn't get the joke. "What are you talking about? I don't pay attention to my brother's minions!" She angrily slurped the last of her milkshake. "Get me another milkshake."

"You're going to get fat," he blurted out, unwisely. _Minions!_

"Shut up! America eats this garbage all the time, and he's not fat."

Sadly, she was right. Estonia took the opportunity to escape to the counter and order her another milkshake. Idly he tried to picture her as a fat nation, and couldn't. Just as well, he supposed.

When he got back to the table she was finishing up her fries and staring across the room. "Check that out," she told him, pointing with a fry. "Switzerland and America. Feeding each other French fries." She laughed a little. "You won't get me to do that ridiculous nonsense, so don't even think about it."

Estonia was stunned. _Stunned!_ He'd assumed that Austria had broken up with America, so that he could get back together with Switzerland. This was quite a development. America and Switzerland? He wondered how Austria was taking it.

And he'd have to work on the spreadsheet when he got back to his room. Hopefully Latvia would be asleep by then. He could work quietly with a stylus instead of tapping on the keyboard.

He was so deep in contemplation of this strange sight that Belarus poked him in the cheek with a fry. "Hey! Are you here on a date with me, or too busy drooling over America?" Then she grimaced a little. "Though he is really drool-worthy. Even my brother thinks so."

The two of them sat and stared at Switzerland and America, the remainder of their food growing cold.

"Hey!" Belarus poked him again, this time with a pointy red fingernail. "Come on, let's get out of here. Take me to a show or something." She stood up.

"What? I don't think tickets are going to be available on the spur of the moment like this. Although I can check." Estonia took one last sad look at the two in the corner before gathering up their trash and taking it to the bin.

Belarus was tapping her foot, again, in its stiletto heel, the whole time he did this, and that tap-tap-tap sound was constantly adding to his nerves. "Hey, America!" she called out, and everyone in the restaurant turned to look at her, except the now-blushing Switzerland. "Nice to see you!"

"Hey, Belarus, Estonia! Have a great night!" that nation yelled back, as they walked out the door.

"What a nice guy," she sighed.

"I know," Estonia replied, before realizing that might be uncouth.

But she didn't seem to notice. "All right, then, take me to a movie."

"Are you able to follow a movie in Japanese?"

"I don't know yet, do I? Take me to the movie and I'll find out!" Her voice was menacing, and he hurriedly scrolled through movies on his phone before locating the nearest theatre.

…

Estonia didn't bother trying to follow the movie. More than once he tried to take Belarus' hand, in the dark, feeling a little bit braver in here than he would have done on the brightly-lit streets of Tokyo.

More than once, Belarus pushed him away.

_Man up_, he told himself. _This is a date!_ So at the next quiet part of the movie, he leaned over, trembling, and pecked a quick kiss on her hair.

She didn't even notice! She smelled really nice, though. Vaguely, through his nerves, he wondered what kind of shampoo she used.

He tried again, during a quiet section of movie, and just as his lips met her hair again, the on-screen action erupted into a sudden loud fight. Belarus jumped, and Estonia yelped in her ear.

"Ow! Estonia, what are you doing?" She pushed him away with both hands; his glasses fell off. "Don't scream in my ear. Do you want to leave this movie? Is it scaring you too much?" she asked, in a malicious voice.

"I – I admit I'm a little on edge," he replied, trying not to point an accusing finger at her, resettling his glasses.

"Well, then we should leave! I can't even figure out what's happening in this bizarre movie. Come on." She stood up and strode out of the theatre, leaving him to stumble along in the dark behind her.

"Let's go back to the hotel," she grumbled. Shrugging, and more relieved than he cared to admit, Estonia followed her to a taxi station and they climbed into a cab. Well, at least this experiment was over, and once he dropped her off, he could check her off the spreadsheet, take a warm bath, and relax a little. Relax a _lot_.

They didn't encounter any of their fellow nations as he escorted her to her hotel room, which she was sharing with Ukraine. At the door, he tried to be gallant, extending a hand to shake. "Th-thank you, Belarus, for the date. I hope it wasn't too bad for you."

She smirked at him. "This was the best date I've been on in a long time, Estonia. I might have misjudged you." Belarus put her arms around his neck, snuggling seductively against him. "We should start dating exclusively. It would be nice to have someone who paid attention to me 24/7."

_What? _"Er – er – I, uh – Good night, Belarus!" he yelled, breaking away and running up the stairs in desperation.

…

_Dammit! Today I saw two Estonian lace knitting books and an ad for a private island for sale near Haapsalu. It's like a curse. Is this going to go on until he gets a satisfactory date, or until the end of the story? I may lose my mind, in that case. Stay tuned._

_I've never been to a non-US McDonald's (except once in Winchester after visiting the Royal Green Jackets Museum), so I don't know what the Japanese ones are like. I wrote this like the American ones._

_Next: Belgium._


	4. A Sweet Date

**A Sweet Date.**

Estonia cleared his throat before ringing Belgium's doorbell. He had on a new suit and even a new pair of glasses! Belgium, at meetings, always seemed so pleasant and kind, and he wanted to make a very nice first impression.

She answered the door, wearing a flowing black dress that he'd not seen her in before. "Estonia! Please, come in," she offered, holding the door open. "I just need to find my earrings."

"It's nice to see you," he said, extending another bouquet of cornflowers. He was already beginning to feel this was his signature touch.

"Oh, how lovely! Come into the kitchen and I'll put them in water." She led him to her kitchen, which was not only functional, but whimsically decorated. As she bustled about putting the flowers into a vase, he stood in appreciation of the décor.

In a moment the flowers were attended to. "There. I'm going to put them on the mantelpiece, and then I need to find those earrings." She led her guest into the living room and put the vase on the shelf above the fireplace. "Please, make yourself comfortable. I have some very sweet plans for us tonight!"

Belgium left the room and Estonia sat on a large sofa, looking around. This house definitely had a woman's touch, he realized. Having spent so much time at Russia's, and then building his own, this feminine flair appealed to him greatly. And Belgium was a beautiful girl. Much better than Belarus, who hadn't spoken to him since their miserable date. How that girl liked to annoy people! He sighed just as his hostess came back in the room, fiddling with an earring.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Estonia. I didn't mean to keep you waiting."

"No, it's quite all right," he replied, rising. "I was thinking about – about some work things I'll need to attend to. That's all." He smiled at her. "Your home is lovely."

"Thank you," she smiled. "Are you ready to go?"

"Of course. I'm quite interested to see where we'll end up!" he teased playfully.

"I told you it would be sweet?" she reminded him. "I'm taking you on a tour of the Neuhaus chocolate factory!"

Estonia's eyes widened. "I love chocolate."

"Everyone loves chocolate!" Belgium grabbed her handbag and led him towards the door. "Neuhaus is one of our foremost suppliers."

"I always thought Godiva was your most famous."

"It was, but then America took it over, and, I daresay, the quality is not quite the same." She locked the front door. "Come on. We can take a bus."

Now that was a nice touch. Estonia was greatly in favor of working to aid the environment, and taking a bus instead of a car or taxi would be quite beneficial.

On the bus he thanked her nicely for coming on a date. "Oh, I was happy to be asked," she said, smiling at him. "I haven't been out for a while."

He took her hand briefly – it was nice and warm – and they sat happily smiling at each other for the duration of the bus ride. "You recently celebrated a national festival, didn't you?" Of course she had. He'd done very thorough background work for this date.

"Yes! You looked it up? That's so thoughtful of you." She blushed a little. "I – I'm sorry that I didn't think to look up anything about you."

Estonia felt himself blushing too, Belgium was so sweet! "Th-that's all right," he told her. "We have plenty of time to learn about each other." When she gave him a soft smile he felt encouraged. He took her hand again and held it loosely, not wanting to be too forward.

But in a moment the bus stopped and she let go. "This is our stop." They got off the bus together, Estonia gallantly extending a hand to help her down the steps. "Follow me!" she laughed.

He didn't quite dare to hold her hand while they walked, so they proceeded companionably side by side. "But you were asking about my festivals," Belgium remembered. "I declared independence from my brother at the end of July, but unfortunately didn't get officially recognized for a long, long time. But things are good now, between us."

"That's very good," he replied, "and, you know, it seems like the whole world is trending towards better relations overall. I can hope that we won't see any more wars."

"Oh, believe me. Wars – well, you know just as well as I do, how bad a war can be." She shook her head vigorously. "Here's the factory." She gestured towards a beautiful building.

"Is it open at this hour?" he wondered.

"Ah, no. I asked them to open it specifically for us."

Estonia smiled. Seems he'd be touring famous places all over the world after hours! Well, if he started dating Belgium on a regular basis, then maybe not, but if things didn't work out…

He remembered how Australia had pulled him into an alcove for some kissing, and wondered whether Belgium was bold enough to do that here. Probably not.

But ah, aren't chocolate-flavored kisses always sweeter?

He felt himself blushing and hurried to the building with her. She was such a cute girl. He was flustered already!

Inside, instead of taking him on the tour herself, Belgium enlisted the help of a factory worker, who had stayed late to assist. Hm. Estonia now surmised there would be no sneaky chocolate kisses, not with a factory worker lurking nearby!

Strangely, this reassured him, and he pushed his glasses up his nose and was able to focus on the tour. He learned of the different varieties of cocoa beans used, saw the gigantic mixing vats, and even learned what kind of skills a person needed to be considered a Master Chocolatier. It was all very fascinating. He asked the tour guide (and Belgium) a lot of questions, and got answers to all of them. He was really learning a lot!

At the end of the tour some samples were provided. "I love Neuhaus the best," Belgium sighed, picking up four pralines and cramming them all into her mouth at once.

Estonia was so nonplussed that he simply stood and stared. The factory worker didn't seem to think anything was amiss, and he too squashed a bunch of candies into his mouth in a big wad.

More delicately, the Baltic nation nibbled on one praline, while his mind turned this over and over. Belgium was a total pig! She was stuffing even more chocolate into her mouth. He knew Belgian chocolate was considered top of the mark, and he'd expected her to be fond of her own country's chocolate, but this was a bit nerve-wracking. Estonia suddenly wanted to be anywhere but here. E-even Belarus would be preferable to this!

Well. Not really.

He decided to get her out of there before she got sick. "Belgium?"

"Mmf? Mm. Mm-hmm," she nodded, hastily swallowing the lump of chocolate in her mouth, beginning to choke. Estonia quickly applied the Heimlich maneuver and soon she was breathing heavily, but no longer in danger of choking. "Th-thank you," she wheezed. "I always get carried away with chocolate."

No kidding.

"We – we should probably be going," he suggested; the tray of samples was already empty and the factory worker kept checking his watch.

"Oh, what a good idea!" Belgium turned to go. Her guest noticed a big smear of chocolate on her face. Estonia knew that a playful nation like France would probably offer to lick it off, but he didn't want to get into that.

Together they went outside; the factory worker locked the door behind them. "Come on, we can get a cab," Belgium said, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "Wasn't that fun?"

"Fun," Estonia echoed weakly. Well…it _had_ been fun, right up to the end. They climbed into a cab and went back to Belgium's place.

At her door, she turned to him with a beaming smile. "I hope you'll come in for a while. I have chocolates from several of our other main companies. We can do a taste test!" She nodded enthusiastically.

Estonia was positive that he couldn't handle that. "I – thank you for inviting me, Belgium, but I do have to get back home. Per-perhaps we can share chocolate some other time?" He really hoped that open-ended statement was firm enough, without being rude, to get his message across.

"Oh, all right," she smiled, kissing his cheek. "I'll see if I can get Spain to come have chocolates with me. He and I love to eat chocolate together! Good night!"

…

_Belgium's character and personality does seem quite sweet, which is why I chose a chocolate theme for the chapter, but also, from everything I found about the character, she really is just too nice. I had to give her at least one weird quirk that would put Estonia off dating her, otherwise the story would be over too soon! _

_Yay! Research! I got some Neuhaus chocolate and they were…pretty much just the same as any other fancy chocolate. I had half a milk chocolate bar while writing this and then half a caramel one (ahem) as a reward afterwards. In a taste test between Lindt, Neuhaus and Ritter Sport milk chocolates, I'd probably stick with Ritter. Okay! Enough rambling. Thanks for listening, thanks for reading._

_Next: Bulgaria._


	5. A Hot-Blooded Date

**A Hot-Blooded Date.**

Estonia rang Bulgaria's doorbell. He was quite nervous tonight, compared to his previous experimental dates. He'd always loved exotic dark-haired men and women, and Bulgaria fit the bill to a T, with his deep brown hair and eyes as black as coal. The Baltic nation had indulged in a little fantasizing every day this week, after Bulgaria had said yes.

Even those black gloves were sexy. Estonia always equated black leather gloves with domination. He shuddered pleasurably, and Bulgaria – dressed all in black, oh, _damn _– answered the door. "Hello! Please come in," he said, in his deep and accented voice.

Mm, Estonia was in big trouble already. He just wanted to rush to the bedroom! But that wouldn't do. He held out his gift – not cornflowers this time, but a box of Neuhaus chocolates. "It's n-nice to see you," he stammered.

"Belgian chocolates? Huh, that's surprising. Thanks. Maybe we can share them later?"

Oh…Estonia pictured himself naked on a bed with a naked – but still gloved – Bulgaria rubbing chocolate all over his body and licking it off.

"Argh!" he muttered, and then turned bright red when he saw the shock on Bulgaria's face. "Oh. I'm – I'm so sorry. I'm a bit distracted."

"I know how that can be," the dark-haired nation agreed. "Are you ready to go out? I thought a nice dinner, and then maybe just wandering around Oborishte? It's a nice night for it." Indeed. In early September the weather was quite seasonal down here.

Estonia nodded, swallowing, wondering whether Bulgaria would surprise him with kisses like Australia had. "Y-yes, that's fine," he stammered again, and clenched his fists in an effort to get a grip.

"Okay! Let me get my gloves and we can go." Bulgaria pulled on a pair of the black leather gloves, ignoring or possibly not hearing Estonia's sharp indrawn breath, and they left together.

…

Dinner was very pleasant. Estonia was not conversant with Balkan dishes, but everything Bulgaria ordered was delicious. He was also beginning to get over his extreme lust for his host.

Well. He wasn't getting over it, but he was keeping it under control.

Bulgaria paid the check, and Estonia thanked him. "That's all right. I'm having a really nice time with you. I wasn't too sure about it, but now I'm glad I said yes. I hope you will be able to come back at the end of September," the host told him, somewhat shyly, as they left the restaurant.

"For the celebration of your independence?"

The black eyes widened in joy. "You know of it?"

"Y-yes. I do a lot of research before spending time with an unfamiliar nation." Estonia pushed his glasses up his nose.

"That's wonderful. I should start doing things like that." Bulgaria smiled, but Estonia felt his heart sink. Still nobody had thought of looking up his festivals! Perhaps he should be better about putting information on the web.

"I find it informative. You should try it!" Encouraged, he reached out and took Bulgaria's hand in his.

The host nation blushed and slipped his hand away. "I – I'm sorry," he said politely. "I don't like people touching me. That's why I wear these gloves all the time."

Oh. "You mean, ever?" Estonia blurted.

The dark eyes were confused. "What do you mean?"

They were near a little alleyway. Estonia decided to take a risk. He beckoned his host into the alley and put his hands on Bulgaria's cheeks, leaning in for a passionate kiss. "Mm, Bulgaria," he murmured, pressing closer.

"Ack! Estonia!" The Balkan nation jumped away from him. "What are you doing?" he hissed. "I just told you I don't like people touching me!" He wiped his mouth with his sleeve. "Are you some kind of sex maniac?"

Sex maniac? _Estonia?_ "Oh, damn, I – I'm sorry, Bulgaria, but you're so sexy. Just the kind of man I like, dark, with that deep voice like melted chocolate…" Estonia couldn't have stopped himself for a million Euros. "I've been so excited all week…the gloves…"

But Bulgaria was still standing in the alley like a deer in headlights. "You! I never heard anything about _you_ being like this! You just swoop in on unsuspecting nations and try to seduce them?" He wiped his mouth again. "And – and _chocolate_! I bet you had some devious idea for those chocolates, didn't you?" The anger was now escalating, and Estonia felt a little threatened, here in the alley.

He didn't speak, but he knew a blush was creeping up his face. What a miserable night this was turning out to be. Now there would be bad blood between the two of them. "Please forgive me," he said, trying to make amends. "I'll – I'll go now, and – and we don't have to refer to this ever again?" He hoped that would be enough to appease the offended nation before him. "If you can show me where to get a taxi I can leave you alone now." He hung his head in shame. He should have known those fantasies were too good to be true.

"Yes," Bulgaria hissed. "Come over here and I'll get you a cab, you depraved nation."

Estonia would have laughed, if the situation had not been so serious. No one had ever referred to him as depraved before. He wanted to rush home and share that with Lithuania.

Lithuania, who was dating Poland. No, Lithuania would not get the joke.

He sighed and followed Bulgaria back to the busy street, where the gloved nation flagged down a taxi. "We absolutely will not speak of this again," he hissed to the Baltic nation. "I'm sorry you had to ruin a perfectly good date. I had high hopes for you, Estonia. I like the way you think and act – at least, I did before that – that _kiss attack_ – and I thought we could be happy together. I thought you might be one of the few nations who could understand me. But no." Bulgaria broke his own rule and put his hand on Estonia to shove him into a taxi. "_After_ I told you not to touch me! Go, and don't call me anymore."

The cab drove off, and Estonia, with tears in his eyes, sank back against the seat. There was one lesson he'd learned tonight, quite thoroughly. Physical attraction is not a sound basis for a relationship. He sighed and clenched his hands in his lap. Damn.

…

_Okay, well, sometimes a situation gets out of hand! I'm sure Estonia has these urges once in a while. _

_It has become clear to me that Estonia is not going to be able to simply plow through his spreadsheet. Former dates will reappear to interrupt his flow and distract him from his mission._

_Next: Regrouping._


	6. Regrouping

_The latter part of this chapter is concurrent with "Love in the Modern World" chapter 49 ("Cherries")._

…

**Regrouping.**

A week later Estonia finally felt that he'd pushed the Bulgarian Disaster to the back of his mind. Oh, why had he been so – so _animalistic_ with the dark nation? He had never had a problem keeping his urges under control before. But Bulgaria was so –

No. That was past; he needed to focus. He sat down with the spreadsheet and gave it a once-over.

Oh, right. He'd never updated it to show that America was now with Switzerland. He took care of that and then realized that Austria, in the A section, was free.

Hm. Cameroon? Or go back and date Austria?

He didn't know Cameroon well at all; he knew Austria well, and liked him. He was much closer geographically, too. Estonia suspected there would always be a Switzerland problem lurking in the background, but it could be worth his effort. At least he didn't have to worry about jumping the musical nation out of the blue. Austria was elegant, but he'd never really considered him _sexy._

Though that might change, once they got to know each other. Someone like Austria might have hidden depths.

But on the Belarus night he'd decided not to go back in the alphabet for newly-free nations, so Cameroon it would have to be.

Estonia ate some piirakka and thought about this. Oh, as a well-trained mind, he knew he could find a loophole. And in fact it didn't take him very long to find one at all. If he went back and dated Austria, then at least – if it didn't work out – at least he would be able to fill in a hole in his spreadsheet. As closure-oriented as he was, he liked that idea very much.

Right. A world meeting in Hungary was coming up. He'd assess the situation. He'd need to observe Cameroon as well, because he wasn't sure if that nation was even dating anyone. So, the Hungary meeting would be a mission. And after that, he'd press forward, with whomever he deemed appropriate, spreadsheet-wise.

Estonia shut his laptop and went upstairs for a nap.

…

He was freshly determined to get something out of this meeting. Estonia bounced into the meeting room in an excellent frame of mind, which was not even shattered by Bulgaria's quick turn away from him at the buffet table. True to his promise, he did not speak to that nation, not even to say hello or "please pass the sugar."

There were plenty of seats available so he slipped into one and flipped open his laptop, whistling. Neither Austria nor Cameroon was in the room yet, so he sipped coffee, ate some fresh cherries and a piece of Dobosh torte, and watched nations enter. Switzerland came in and sat in the back of the room, looking grumpy, although that was Switzerland's default setting. Ha.

America came in and chatted with some nations for a while. Prussia and Denmark were up to – well, whatever it was those two got up to – laughing and whispering and pointing at other nations. He wondered where their friend Romano was. Those three had been hanging out together a lot lately.

Austria finally floated in. Estonia watched him gracefully approach the buffet table, fill a plate with breakfast, and then sit next to Switzerland.

Uh? Estonia's gaze whipped around the room. America _not_ with Switzerland? Austria with Switzerland? Nuts. He opened the spreadsheet and updated it after he saw Austria give Switzerland a little kiss on the cheek. That was really all the confirmation he needed. Desultorily he ate a few more cherries before realizing the implications of Austria and Switzerland back together.

America was now free again! And it coincided with his own free status! Estonia nearly jumped for joy in his seat. Hungary came in to start the meeting and he decided to definitely ask America out at lunchtime. _Yes!_

…

By midday Estonia understood that Cameroon was his only real option. In an unprecedented display spawned by Romano and England, nations all over the crowded conference room had begun sitting on their partners' laps, and Japan – _Japan!_ – had sat on America's lap. And had quite definitely enjoyed it, as had the hero.

Estonia sighed. At least it seemed Cameroon was unattached. He'd spend the upcoming week on some research and call him to ask for a date for next weekend.

Sigh.

…

_Next: Cameroon._


	7. A Sporting Date

**A Sporting Date.**

Estonia stepped out of the airport, letting the sounds of unfamiliar languages flow over him, scanning the crowds for Cameroon. At this very different place, people in unfamiliar dress passed by, jostling him, and he wondered whether he'd ever be able to find his date in this mess!

And he – he was half-fearful, half-excited, to see if Cameroon would bring his little lion along. Surely a creature of that size would be cuddly and cute? Estonia's eyes sparkled as he daydreamed about cuddling a baby lion on his lap.

But then, that was not the point of this exercise, was it? What about cuddling up with Cameroon?

At that, he felt a touch on his shoulder. "Estonia? Welcome to my home."

He turned to see Cameroon before him in gym gear, and yes! He did have the lion with him. Estonia smiled and shook hands with his host. He hadn't brought a present this time, wondering if he'd been jinxing his dates with that practice. "It's nice to see you," he said. Cameroon was tall, and he looked very fit.

Hah. Maybe Estonia would need to start working out. He too was wearing sporting gear, clean and pressed, but he felt too slim, not muscular enough, next to his date.

"Come with me. I'm glad you're dressed like that! We'll go to the playing fields and kick the ball around for a while. I always like to see how my dates do with soccer." Cameroon's bright teeth glistened as he smiled down at his guest.

Uh-oh. "We don't have a big tradition of soccer in my country," he admitted. "But I'll do my best."

"Kokolo, this is Estonia," Cameroon said to his lion. "This is Kokolo."

Estonia hunkered down to pet the lion. "I'm pleased to meet you! You're adorable."

Kokolo growled and batted a paw at the visitor, who laughed and stood up again. What a cute pet!

"I thought after we play for a while, we could go to one of my national restaurants. Have you ever tried the food of my region?" Cameroon led the way out of the airport parking lot.

"I have not. I'm looking forward to it." The two of them, and Kokolo, climbed into a little car; the lion immediately crept up and draped himself around Cameroon's shoulders, keeping a wary eye on Estonia. How adora—ah, he needed to _focus!_ On _Cameroon,_ not the lion.

"So your country doesn't really have soccer?" As they drove, Cameroon scratched his head and Estonia noticed that instead of the cross he normally had shaved into his hair, he had a – a – smiley face?

"Uh! Wow, that's a cool design," Estonia said, pointing to it.

"Thanks. I thought it might be fun for a date; it only takes a week to grow back, and then I can do the cross again."

"Cool. Uh, but, but no, my country isn't really known for soccer. I know the rules of play, of course."

"Doesn't everyone?" Cameroon smiled at him and pulled up to a large field where a lot of his countrymen were playing. "Here we are. Now, Kokolo, I want you to sit on the sidelines, all right? No playing, this time. If Estonia's just starting out, he'll need to concentrate on the game and not be worrying about tripping over you." He bent down to rub his lion's ears.

A low growl was the only response; Kokolo padded off to sit beside a goal.

"Hey!" Cameroon waved to the players and gameplay stopped. He and Estonia walked over to join in.

Estonia was really nervous. He really wasn't any good at soccer. And he knew that Cameroon's country was big on it. He'd read as much as he could before coming down, because obviously it would have factored into the date somehow – if only as conversation – but, oh, what if he made a bad showing?

Well, perhaps they could play for a very short time and then he could persuade his host to go. It wouldn't really be a _date_ if they were hanging around with all these other men all evening.

"Right! Heads up, Estonia!"

The ball came flying right at his face and he caught it reflexively. Anytime something headed towards his face, he got nervous, because of his glasses.

"Hey, you can't catch it," Cameroon pointed out. "Feet or body or head, but no hands. Got it?"

Estonia nodded sheepishly and tried to kick the ball back to his date; he kicked it, but his kick wasn't powerful enough, and the ball rolled to a stop before reaching the dark-skinned man. "S-sorry," he called, but Cameroon was running towards the ball and kicked it at him again.

This time Estonia tried to kick it when it reached him, but it was too high; in trying to reach his leg up, he fell over. "Oh…"

"Eh! Are you all right?" Cameroon came running right up to him. "You can use your chest or head, you know."

"A-all right, I'll try that." He took the hand that his host offered and stood up again, fixing his glasses. "Okay. I think I'm ready."

"Okay. Let's just all kick the ball around a little to get used to it. Yes?"

"Sure. Go."

The African kicked the ball gently towards Estonia, who managed to get it between his feet and kicked it back. For about two minutes they basically tapped it back and forth.

Estonia was gaining confidence, so that when Cameroon said, "I'm going to try to get it past you and into the goal, yeah?" he laughed and nodded. This wasn't so –

_Whiz!_ Before he could finish his thought the ball had flown past his head and right into the goal. Whoops. "Sorry!"

"Don't be sorry! Just get the ball and let's play."

Estonia was still determined to deal with this, so he got the ball and did his best, although he was no match at all for the powerful Cameroon. The other players had wandered off, so he didn't feel self-conscious about failing in front of a large group, but it was still fairly intimidating.

"C-can we go to dinner soon? I'm really hungry," he lied, hoping to get off the field.

"In a little bit! I want to get some more play in, before the sun goes down!" Cameroon shot the ball right at Estonia's face again, and once again he put his arms up to shield his glasses. The ball hit his forearms and fell to the ground.

"Whoops. Sorry!" Damn, it felt like he'd been doing nothing but apologizing all night!

"Eh, it's all right. Come on, kick it back, try to score one!" Cameroon pointed to the goal behind him.

Estonia, determined, set the ball down and kicked it as hard as he could. It flew high in the air. He watched it dreamily, proud of his improved kicking skills, as it headed towards Cameroon's goal. The Baltic nation permitted himself a small smile as he saw the ball about to enter the goal –

– and then his date leaped out of nowhere, headbutting the ball back to the middle of the field. Oh.

"You can't just stand there, Estonia! You have to follow the ball!"

"Right." He ran to the ball, but Cameroon got there first, laughing, and booted it towards the other goal.

Estonia scrambled, but couldn't prevent him from scoring. He stood with his hands hanging down, the fading sunlight glinting off his glasses. "Why don't you take me to a museum or something?" he asked in desperation.

"We still have a little time left. Come on, give it a good kick." Cameroon held the ball out and dropped it on the grass.

By now Estonia was embarrassed and kind of pissed off, too, though he couldn't have said whether that was because of his failures at soccer, or Cameroon's indifference to his (he thought) obvious discomfort. He ran madly at the ball and squeezed his eyes shut to kick, and when he opened them the ball was nowhere in sight. Wow. Had he kicked it that far? Maybe they should start a national team, at home, and train up for the next Olym—

Here he realized Cameroon was standing next to him with a funny expression on his face. "What's the matter?" the blond asked.

Kokolo was padding across the lawn to them. "I think he knows we're done," Cameroon laughed, pointing down at the ball, which was still near Estonia's feet.

"What? _What_? I kicked it! Didn't I kick it?" Oh, he was blushing like mad, and he knew it.

"It's all right. Come on. We'll go to dinner." Cameroon clapped him heartily on the shoulder.

Dejected, Estonia followed his host and Kokolo to the little car.

…

Dinner was at least less stressful, although he wasn't sure about some of the dishes. Cameroon was a kind and informative date, though, and told him about each native dish they sampled. It was interesting stuff, Estonia had to admit – although he wasn't certain he could handle it on a regular basis.

But he could tell that Cameroon had drawn back from the interaction somewhat. He wasn't as chatty as he'd been previously. Surely that couldn't be entirely due to Estonia's soccer skills (or lack thereof)?

"I'm glad we got to spend some time together," he hazarded, hoping to get a more dately reaction out of the stronger man.

"It's always nice to spend time with new nations." Cameroon paid the bill and they left the restaurant. "Do you need to get back to the airport now?" he asked politely.

Well, that was blunt and obvious, even though it had been couched in such nice terms. "Yes, thank you," he replied, conceding that this date just hadn't worked out. He wondered whether he'd ever learn why.

At the airport Cameroon gave him a friendly hug. "Thanks for coming down. If you ever beef up your soccer skills, give me a call, all right?"

Estonia smiled weakly. So it really was all about the soccer. He bent to pet Kokolo. "I guess I'll see you at a meeting or something. Thank you for the dinner."

"You're welcome. Take care!" Cameroon and Kokolo headed back to the little car, and a sad Estonia went to the departures area, sighing.

…

_Somehow this soccer match reminded me of America and Canada's game of catch. _

_This story is really difficult for me! There's so little to go on for those nations that are canon but not fleshed out much. I mean, next up is Canada, and I can have a field day with that one, but these little-used nations are really hard work._

_Though now I do have a wicked little bit of headcanon about Bulgaria and his black leather gloves…kesesese…_


	8. A Surprising Date

**A Surprising Date.**

"Estonia? Hi!"

The Baltic nation turned to see his date, Canada, beaming brightly at him. "Hello, Canada. I'm glad you found me in this mess." He gestured to the throngs of people outside the airport. He was definitely going to get a lot of experience of the world's airports, on this mission of his.

"Me too. But I've been here for an hour, waiting for you." Canada blushed, and he looked adorable. Estonia already wanted to hug him, but remembering his misstep with Bulgaria, didn't. "Come on," he continued. "We'll go downtown. I have a lot of fun things planned for us!"

"Okay!"

Canada flagged down a taxi and they got inside. "I notice you don't have your bear with you," Estonia said politely. He was glad of that. Cute animals on a date were much too distracting!

"Oh, I never take Kumiwumi on dates." Canada blushed again. "He makes too much weird commentary."

That was surprising. Estonia didn't realize the bear talked_._ Maybe he was like Estonia's mochi creatures? But he didn't say anything about that. "Where are we going?" he asked, instead.

Canada met his eyes and smiled at him. "May I ask you a favor first? I – I'd really like it if we could call each other by our human names today. I think it makes it more personal. Is that all right with you?"

"Of course!" Estonia was both surprised and pleased at this suggestion. Then he became embarrassed. "E-except I don't know yours." He felt himself blushing and pushed his glasses up his nose.

"Oh! My name is Matthew Williams." He held out his hand and shook Estonia's. "I don't know yours either."

"I'm Eduard von Bock." Canada had a nice, soft hand. He wanted to keep holding it but his right arm was stretched awkwardly across his body, so he let go.

"Well, Eduard," and Canad—Matthew blushed, "I hope you'll like what I have planned today." He'd come early on a Saturday; it was a little after noon, Canadian time, and they were in Toronto, which Ca—Matthew had said was his favorite city.

"What did you choose for us?"

"First I thought we could walk around the city, like a sightseeing tour; I'd be happy to do that, because I love this city so much. I can tell you all about it, eh? And we can stop anywhere you like, that you might want to spend more time in, like shops or pubs or whatever. Then tonight I got tickets to a play, and then made reservations for dinner at the restaurant on top of the CN Tower." Matthew smiled at him. "There are wonderful views from up there, and the food is very good, too." He pushed his glasses up his nose.

Eduard felt a little nervous about that. "I'm – I'm slightly scared of heights," he confessed.

Matthew took his hand. "Well, I am too, a little bit. But I make myself go up in the various towers so I can try to get over it. It's not so bad."

"Well, if you can be brave about it, I can try too." He squeezed Matthew's hand, and kept holding it. "It sounds like a fun day."

"Every day in Toronto is a fun day," Matthew sighed. This almost made Eduard laugh, but he just squeezed the soft hand in his again.

For the rest of the taxi ride they chatted about various national happenings. Matthew would be celebrating Thanksgiving next week. "Do you think you could come back for that? We have parades, and all kinds of celebrations. It's on Monday."

Oh, Estonia was very pleased about this. Canada was already inviting him back for another date! He glanced at that cute, smiling face with its funny long hair curl and nodded. "I'd be delighted. We don't have a tradition of Thanksgiving in my country."

Before his host could respond, the taxi drew up outside Old City Hall. "Thank you," Matthew called to the driver, as the two nations headed down the street.

Estonia craned his neck to look at the gargoyles on the building. "I love gargoyles."

"So do I! Do you see the little faces up there?" He pointed up to a group of little deformed faces near the top of a pillar. Eduard nodded. "Those were the city councilors at the time the building was complete. They wouldn't let poor Mr. Lennox have a plaque with his name on it, because the project overran the budget and was delayed. So he got back at them by having ugly faces carved to resemble them."

Eduard laughed. "That's a good use of time and materials!" He peered at the little faces again. "And the funny thing is that everyone now remembers your Mr. Lennox when they see his beautiful building, but nobody is going to remember the names of those councilors."

"I know!" Matthew grabbed his hand and Eduard laughed again. "Come on, let's walk! I'll show you everything!"

…

Matthew and Eduard had a lovely, companionable day together. The Baltic nation had a chance to see many of the interesting sights of downtown Toronto; they'd taken a boat out onto Lake Ontario, so that he could get the famous view of the city, and they'd even done a little shopping. He'd wanted to buy a Hudson's Bay blanket – the colors were so vibrant and would always remind him of this exciting city – but he didn't want to schlep a huge blanket around on the rest of their date! Matthew had promised to have one waiting for him when he came back for Canadian Thanksgiving, though. Estonia was having a great time.

When they ascended the CN Tower both of the self-confessed scaredy-cats held hands tightly; Eduard tried not to look down. Matthew hurriedly led him into the restaurant, where they each took a moment to calm down before being seated.

"This really is a marvelous city," Eduard admitted. "I can see why you like it so much."

"Of course it's not where my government seat is, but it's still where I love to spend time. I'm glad you've enjoyed the day."

"You're an attentive host, and a – a good date," the Baltic nation then confessed, blushing. "I haven't had such a nice date in a long time." Hah. Wasn't that the truth.

Matthew too blushed a little. "Me neither. Everyone always wants to be with my dumb brother instead of me."

"Your –" _Oh!_ That's right. Canada and America were brothers. He'd completely forgotten about that.

Now Eduard went into a subtle panic mode, wondering if he'd been subconsciously pretending he was with America all day. While Canada ordered the wine, he tried to think back to their interaction, but eventually concluded that this was not the case. The two of them had been happy all day, and he hadn't really thought about America until just now. So it was still a successful date!

They ordered their meals and sat back. "If – if you think you can be brave enough, we can check out the view from the observation deck?"

Eduard blew out a deep breath. "I'm not sure about that. Let me consider it while we conclude the meal."

"Okay."

During the meal they spoke of this and that, their fellow nations, world problems. Estonia was quite pleased at Canada's matter-of-fact discussions of these topics. Yes, it was somewhat dull to speak of work issues on a date, but at least they were both in the same business, as it were, and could discuss things with ease.

After dessert – a Canadian treat called a butter tart – Estonia squared his shoulders. "I feel pretty brave," he smiled, pushing his glasses up his nose. "Should we try the observation deck?"

They left the restaurant. "Will you hold my hand?" Canada asked him shyly. "I think that would help me be stronger."

"Of course." They joined hands and went to the observation deck, at first just quietly walking around the deck. Eduard viewed the city silently, admiring the lights on the lake, the bustling activity in the distance, trying to stay calm. "Marvelous," he eventually said. "We have nothing this high at home." The tallest observation deck in Tallinn was a little more than half the height of this renowned tower.

Canada stopped walking on the north side. "There's so much of my land up there," he gestured, "such beautiful areas, that people will never really know. They gravitate towards the cities, because the north is so cold and desolate." He sighed, and Eduard let go of his hand to wrap an arm around him in commiseration.

"Your land is very vast." He'd looked up quite a few facts about Canada before the date; this was a noncommittal statement he felt comfortable making.

"Yet almost all the population lives down near the border with my brother. Those big tracts of land up north – unexplored, for the most part."

"It must be magnificent. I'd love to see something like that, remote and no doubt serene. Europe is so overdeveloped."

"You – you would?" Matthew sounded almost wistful. "Nobody's ever been interested in it before." He turned to face Eduard on the deck, and the expression on his face was so sweet and hopeful that the Baltic nation leaned forward and kissed him. Gently – not like his _kiss attack_ on Bulgaria. "Oh, Eduard." Matthew stepped closer and put his arms around Estonia's neck, leaning forward to kiss him again. "I'm so glad you came over to see me today."

Slightly bemused – but not wanting to miss this opportunity – Eduard pulled his host closer, and they kissed a few times on the observation deck before he realized that others might be watching. He pulled back with a short laugh. "Maybe this isn't appropriate in public," he whispered with a little smile. Canada was a very good kisser!

"You're right." The blushing host gave him a little smile. "W-would you like to sleep over tonight?"

Estonia was touched by this shy offer. Of course Canada wouldn't be a rampaging sex maniac. He'd probably be very cute and cuddly all night. "Sure," he said, eyes bright behind his glasses. "But I didn't bring an overnight bag."

"That's okay," Matthew whispered. "I bet you could fit into some of my stuff. Or if not, America leaves clothes over at my place all the time, and he's bigger than I am, so, they might fit you."

This almost – _almost_ – distracted the visitor, who squeezed his host around the waist. "Then that sounds like fun! Plus I'm sure there's so much more to see around here, that we could do tomorrow?"

"Yes." Canada drew back from him, but took his hand. "Why don't we get an early night, and then tomorrow we'll be all fresh and rested?"

"That sounds fine with me." Eduard grinned at his host, who squeezed his hand and led the way back to the elevator.

…

Canada had a big soft bed with a Hudson's Bay blanket on it. "Here are some pajamas," he said, offering a fleece pair with moose printed on it.

"Thanks." Eduard took them into the bathroom, but they were a little too snug in the waist, and he said so.

"All right, hold on, eh? I'll find a pair of America's." In a moment Matthew's arm, holding a pair of fleece pants with the Stars and Stripes, the Statue of Liberty, and eagles printed all over it, reached into the bathroom. Eduard snorted and took the pants.

"Yes, these fit much better, though they're a little long." He came out of the bathroom holding the moose-print pants. "Here."

"Well, the length doesn't really matter, since we'll be sleeping." Matthew darted a peek at the shirtless Eduard. "Th-they look good on you."

"Er, thanks? Are we going to sleep now?"

"Yes, please. All that fresh air from walking around is so invigorating, but it leaves me drained at the end of the day." Canada, in his maple leaf pajamas, slipped into the bed, holding the covers open for Estonia.

"I had a wonderful day," the Baltic nation said, taking his host's hand. "Thanks for saying yes to a date."

"I had a great time too. It's nice for someone to want me, instead of America, for a change."

"He's going out with Japan, now, right?" Estonia asked idly, remembering how the Asian nation had sat on America's lap at the last meeting.

"Eh, no, they aren't really dating. He likes to tease Japan, but they haven't really been dating since last year."

"Huh. He sure gets around."

"Tell me about it!" Matthew made a face and the two of them laughed together. "Well, good night, Estonia. Eduard."

Estonia placed a sweet kiss on his shy host's cheek. "Good night, Matthew."

…

In the morning Estonia awoke and stretched before opening his eyes, and then remembered he was at Canada's house! What a sweet time they'd had. He was eagerly looking forward to today's adventures in Toronto, whatever they might turn out to be. He rolled over with a smile on his face, opening his eyes, only to find Matthew fully-dressed, seated in a chair in the corner, with his bear on his lap and a scowl on his face.

"M-Matthew? Good morning?"

"You can go home now, Estonia," the soft voice said.

"What? Why? I thought we were going to spend the day together?" Was Matthew a manic-depressive? Why such a turnaround?

"I'm not spending the day with you," Canada huffed, squeezing the bear forcefully. It coughed and he let go.

"Why not? We had such a nice day together!" Estonia was well and truly baffled.

"Estonia, you spent the whole night hugging me and calling me America! I refuse to go on another date with you. That's very ungentlemanly."

Whoops. Estonia felt his cheeks burning and he groped for his glasses on the night table to put them on and look at Canada directly. Yes, he was quite angry; two red spots were burning on his cheeks and he was intensely frowning.

"But I – "

"No buts about it. Please just get dressed and go. I'll call you a taxi." Canada set the bear down and left the room. "And don't come back for Thanksgiving!" he shouted weakly over his shoulder.

Estonia took advantage of the privacy to jump up and rummage around collecting his gear. As he walked sadly into the bathroom to change, he heard a voice say, "Whoever that guy is, he sure doesn't like being mistaken for America!"

…

_I called the bear "Kumiwumi" because of an old Frank Sinatra song, "Can I Steal a Little Love," where he sings, "Coo me, woo me, turtledove/Can I steal a little love?" Whenever he sings "Coo me, woo me," it sounds like some bizarre Japanese word. I know his name is Kumajiro but since Canada always forgets, Kumiwumi seemed close enough._

_I love Toronto._

_Next up: A short interlude while Estonia leads the Skirmish Brothers on the tour of Tallinn, during their disastrous cruise. This is actually part of the story "Love in the Modern World," chapters 50-56._


	9. Is He Really Worth It?

**Is He Really Worth It?**

"Fuck!" Estonia yelled. Normally, he was not such a vulgar nation, but he was – _totally fed up_ with the way all these bad dates had been progressing. And it seemed the last few problems had been all his fault. He couldn't believe he'd called out America's name in his sleep. How childish!

Estonia almost deleted the spreadsheet and gave up on the project.

But he wasn't a quitter. He wondered whether he could fix things with Canada, because they really had had such a wonderful day together, but concluded that even if he worked overtime to soften the younger twin, he'd possibly just do the same thing again next time they were asleep together. Damn.

He took his coffee over and looked at the spreadsheet. China was next. Should he ask China for a date? Give up? Or…you know…

An obsessive thought began to take shape in his mind. Canada had said America and Japan were not dating.

And it was America's name he'd called out in his sleep.

Damn it, he was going to ask America for a date, and be done with it. He knew in his heart that's what he'd really wanted all along, but the older twin had been dating Austria at the time. But if America was free, he had his chance, and – and even if he messed up, he could at least fill in the hole in the spreadsheet.

Sadly, he marked an X next to Canada's name and finished his coffee, mulling over this idea. Well, he had plenty of other things to do, so he'd let the idea percolate for a while. Denmark and his friends were on a cruise which would be stopping at Tallinn on Thursday, and he'd offered to show them around his city on a sightseeing tour. He was really proud of his home, and pleased that some nations were coming to visit.

Estonia had been knitting them each a sweater. Denmark's was red and black, Prussia's was blue and white, and in a strange burst of romance he'd made Romano's green, and as close to blond as he could find in his yarns. He'd striped this with a brown and amber combination. Estonia felt that Romano and England really made a wonderful couple. Each of them was rude to everyone else, but when they were together, they seemed to take great care of each other and understand each other. Certainly he never saw Romano smile except when he was with the island nation. Estonia liked that. That's kind of what he was hoping to find for himself. So he'd chosen colors for Romano's sweater that represented that bond between the two of them.

He spent a few moments contemplating the design of a red, white and blue sweater.

The Denmark and Romano sweaters were all done, so he sat to put the finishing touches on the Prussia sweater and thought about his plan for America.

…

On Wednesday he decided to call America and see if he was free this weekend. That would make a nice payback for his tour guide thing on Thursday. He picked up the phone, slightly nervous, and called.

"Hey! You've reached the land of the free, the home of the brave! What can I do ya for?"

"H-hi, America. This is Estonia calling."

"Estonia, hey, man, how are you?" America sounded very hearty. Maybe he'd just been working out.

"Ahem. I'm fine, thank you." He decided to just plunge forward and ask. They could make small talk later. "I heard from – from Canada that you're not dating anyone, and I wondered whether you'd like to go out with me this weekend." He held his breath. That hadn't been too difficult!

"Aw, man, Matt's so out of the loop. I'm totally dating Romano now!"

_Romano?_ Estonia felt dizzy. "Romano?" he clarified.

"Yep! He finally broke up with Iggy, so I snapped him up. Completely sexy. He's on a cruise with his other friends right now, so we can't hang out, but we're totally dating. England's so pissed off, ha ha ha!"

Whoa. Estonia tried to focus on the discussion. "Uh, well, all right, then, America. Thanks for telling me."

"Hey, it's no big secret, man. At the next meeting I'm going to flaunt it in everyone's face. Ha ha ha!"

"Okay, well, have fun," he replied weakly. "Talk to you later."

"You bet! See ya." The loud blond slammed down the phone; Estonia replaced his in its cradle more sedately.

He didn't know where to start. Well, he could change the spreadsheet, at least. He padded over to the desk in his bare feet and finished a cold cup of coffee that had been sitting there for a while.

Somehow Estonia could not make himself change the "Available" columns for England and Romano yet. What the hell was Romano thinking?

Well, that wasn't really a fair thought. Apparently he wanted America just as much as Estonia did. He sighed.

He rose to pack up the sweaters for tomorrow and suddenly realized his Romano sweater would be a hopeless gaffe, if he and England had broken up. Well, too bad. He didn't have time to knit a different one, and he couldn't swap it to Prussia or Denmark because the Romano one wouldn't fit anyone else. Damn. Well, the brunet would just have to deal with it. Maybe he wouldn't realize the symbolism.

Estonia was very conflicted about America at this point. He still liked him – that nation was fun and exciting – but combining his recent love life activity with his obliviousness made the Baltic nation wonder if he were such a good bet. If he and Romano broke up – and knowing how short the Italian's temper was around people who irritated him, he suspected they would – would Estonia still want to date America? He was no longer sure.

To amuse himself, and possibly to help him straighten out his thoughts about America, he sat down and made a list of all the nations that he _knew_ that nation had dated recently.

Canada had said he'd dated Japan last year. Start with that.

_Japan._

He'd dated Austria right up until this project of Estonia's had started.

_Austria._

Japan sat on his lap at the Hungary meeting.

_Japan again (possibly fake)_

But then he was with Switzerland that night when Estonia and Belarus had gone to McDonald's. _Switzerland!_ That was another insane match; well, it hadn't lasted long.

_Switzerland_

And now he was allegedly dating Romano.

_Romano_

Well, not really "allegedly," since America had said it himself.

So, four different nations, over the course of the year; it was now October.

Ah! Something Estonia had completely failed to consider, at this point, was that he himself might end up as one of America's love-em-and-leave-em castoffs. Surely Switzerland hadn't had a very long run of it. Th-that would be almost worse than not dating him at all.

Sighing, Estonia quickly changed the Romano and England columns, trying not to think about it too much, and went to bed. He had a long day planned for tomorrow.

…

"Hey, Estonia!" Prussia was jumping up and down waving, and Denmark had a beaming smile on his face, too. That was nice. He always felt close to the Nordic nations.

But Romano looked terrible_._ He had big dark circles under his eyes, and he was scowling, though he always scowled. Estonia was glad he'd learned of the breakup with England ahead of time, because now he wouldn't say anything to inadvertently irritate the Italian.

"Hi," he said, smiling and shaking hands with all of them. "I'm glad you came to my city. I have a great tour planned, with some stops at excellent restaurants."

"Kesesese! With good beer, I hope."

"Shut up, albino potato." Romano kicked a fire hydrant.

"P-please," Estonia said, trying to calm him down, and Denmark burst out laughing.

"Listen, it's all right," he said, clapping the host on the shoulder. "They're always like this. Just let them be, all right? What's in the bag?"

Oh. "Our mills have a new process for producing self-striping wool," he explained, "so to showcase it I made each of you a sweater. Do you want to take the bag to the cruise ship now, or wait?"

"I don't want to waste time going back to the ship," Prussia said. "I'll carry the bag." He took it from Estonia and made a sweeping gesture. "Lead on, mine host," he laughed.

"Idiot."

Estonia nervously scurried to the front of the group and hailed a tour bus so that they could begin their tour of Tallinn.

…

Estonia furiously wanted to understand about America and Romano. The Italian did not look like a man happy in his relationship. He seemed even more short-tempered than usual, and both Prussia and Denmark were taking care to be very sweet to him, as if they were afraid he'd explode. Estonia didn't quite know how to behave around them. Maybe Romano was just angry because he couldn't spend time with America?

During their tour of Toompea Castle he found himself walking with the brunet, while Prussia and Denmark paced ahead. Romano looked quite sullen and kicked a pebble along in front of him in the parking lot.

"I'm surprised that you're friends with these two. I hadn't considered that you had much interaction with the northern nations, but it's nice to see it," he offered, hoping to soften his guest. Of course England was a northern nation, too.

"Th-thanks," Romano said. "They irritate the hell out of me sometimes, but – but they're my friends. I can _rely_ on _them,_" he snapped.

Estonia hastily shut up; they walked on together. Did he mean there was someone else he couldn't rely on? The Baltic nation was intensely curious. Ah, maybe he just meant his vacant brother, or Germany. Everyone knew how much Romano hated Germany. Everyone except Germany himself, it seemed.

When they caught up to the others, Romano scurried to Denmark's side, leaving Estonia with Prussia. He hoped he could deal with all that enthusiasm.

But it wasn't too bad. They completed their walk around Toompea and headed towards the Old Town.

Over lunch, Denmark complimented him on the preservation of the old town. "I feel so nostalgic," he added.

"Kesesese! This town awesomely used to be Den's, and then I bought it from him." Prussia poked Romano and then put his chin in his hand, sighing and fluttering his eyelashes at Denmark. "He didn't charge me an arm and a leg, either."

Denmark elbowed him and they laughed together. "But you're doing a great job, Estonia," Denmark repeated. "I'm pleased to see how nice Tallinn looks."

"I'm pleased that you can call it 'Tallinn,'" Estonia countered with a grin, pushing his glasses up his nose. "I thought you'd always consider it Lyndanisse."

"We have to adapt to the times," Denmark pointed out.

"There's so much shit I don't know." Romano continued to look surly.

"But now you'll awesomely need to learn about America, right?" Prussia asked brightly, poking him.

"Shut the fuck up."

Wow. Romano was not happy. Maybe he was regretting breaking up with England. "America's a heartless blabbermouth," Estonia blurted out, earning nods from Prussia and Denmark and no response at all from Romano. Whoops.

But it was true. Even though Estonia liked him, it didn't mean America was the picture of politeness. To cover the awkward silence, he suggested they head towards Kadriorg Palace after lunch, and the others agreed.

…

At the end of the day Estonia escorted the three nations back to the dock. "I hope you've enjoyed your day," he said, shaking Denmark's hand.

Prussia grabbed him for a hug, squeezing tightly. "I did! It was awesome. We should come back sometime with Ar—uh, when we have more time to spend, right, guys?"

"I don't mind," Denmark said, ruffling Prussia's hair. "Thanks for taking the time to show us around. It means a lot more that way, instead of us having to bumble around figuring out what to do."

Romano shook Estonia's hand politely. "Thanks, bastard. It is a nice place. I think the albino potato is right. We should come back and spend more time."

"Just let me know! I'm always happy to spend time showing off my home," Estonia replied, pushing his glasses up his nose. "I'll see you at the next meeting? It's in Paris, right?"

"Yeah. See ya!" Denmark ruffled his hair, too, and the three of them headed up the gangway.

…

At home, Estonia sat to relax with a plate of buttered rye toast and some milk. He needed this soothing snack right now. His feet hurt, but he'd enjoyed going around to all the notable places in Tallinn with the other nations. Somehow he got a different perspective when he was showing it off.

He had no idea what was going on with Romano and America, but at this point he decided he didn't even care. He'd consider America off his list for a while, no matter whether he was dating someone else or not. China was next on the spreadsheet, and the next meeting was coming up in Paris, so he'd ask China for a date, while they were there.

Estonia spent a few moments contemplating the joy of Chinese food, the very different culture. This could be fun!

…

_Next: China. This will take place during chapters 57-60 of "Skirmish Brothers."_


	10. Dinner Dates

**Dinner Dates.**

Estonia collared China outside the meeting room on the first day. "China! Good morning."

"Good morning-aru. Estonia, right?"

The Baltic nation nodded. "Will you have dinner with me tonight?" It was certainly getting easier to ask nations for dates. Practice makes perfect, he supposed.

In the split second before China answered, he remembered that Australia had been trying to snag the Asian nation. Whoops. Estonia hoped he wasn't butting into a relationship that he didn't know about.

But China's next words reassured him. "Yes! I'd like that. There's a great little restaurant right down the road-aru."

Before they could speak further they heard France bellowing from inside the meeting room, trying to get everyone's attention. Estonia smiled. "See you after the meeting!" He ducked into the room, followed by China, and they grabbed seats.

Oh, dear. Canada was right across the table from him. A-and Bulgaria was right next to Canada. With his gloves on. Oh, _dear._

But Canada was staring at the table, and Bulgaria was fiddling with his fancy pen, so Estonia turned his attention to France, at the head of the room, for this first day of a week-long set of meetings.

…

After the meeting broke up China scooted over. "Are you ready to go? I'm so excited."

Estonia winked daringly. "Me too." Hah, looking at Bulgaria all day had distracted him a lot. "What's the restaurant?" He picked up his laptop and they left the room.

"Oh, it's a new one, called the Ming Garden-aru."

"A – a Chinese restaurant?"

"Of course a Chinese restaurant, Estonia." China poked him in the arm. "You don't think I want to eat hamburgers, do you?" He made a face.

"Th-that wasn't it. I thought that since we're in Paris, we'd go to a French restaurant." Chinese? Seriously?

The Asian nation considered this. "Well, why don't we go to the Ming Garden tonight and then have a French dinner tomorrow night-aru? We have all week to try different restaurants together?"

Estonia looked into those liquid brown eyes, and China's smile was so sweet that he couldn't help but agree. "Okay. Let me drop my things in my room and I'll meet you in the lobby."

"Right. See you in a few minutes-aru."

Estonia hurried to the room he was sharing with Latvia, taking a few minutes to quickly freshen up. He was surprised that China had agreed so readily, and seemed so enthusiastic. Well, maybe the dark-haired nation simply enjoyed company. "See you later, Latvia," he called out, receiving a quiet wave in response.

…

"Ming Garden is just down the road-aru. Do you like Chinese food?" Then Estonia's date began laughing. "Who am I kidding-aru? Everybody likes Chinese food!" He swished his long sleeves through the air happily. "I'm glad you asked me out. It's no fun dining alone-aru."

"I know. I'm glad you said yes!" Estonia wanted to try to hold China's hand but the sleeves made that impossible, so he settled for walking closer to him.

The Ming Garden was quite close by and delicious smells wafted out into the street. "Mm," China sighed. "Just like being at home-aru."

After they'd been seated Estonia politely asked China to choose his meal. "I'd like to see the types of things you feel are best."

"Of course." China ordered for both of them and they began to relax from the hectic day. "Why did you want to ask me out? It's rare, you know."

"I – " Wow. Estonia had never considered that anyone would ask him that question, and he scrambled. "Don't know you well, and thought it would be interesting for us to get to know each other better?" He hoped that sounded all right.

"I don't mind at all. Better than going out with some of those other dorks-aru." The Asian poured tea for them and they sat back to await the meal. "Your country is celebrating Father's Day soon, isn't it?"

He was floored. Positively _floored!_ Someone had looked up his holidays! "How did you know that?"

China laughed merrily. "I don't pay attention to France any more. I spent the whole day reading about your country on my laptop-aru."

Oh, boy, Estonia felt like a million Euros. He beamed. "Thank you for taking the time. I spent a lot of time researching your country before arriving here in Paris." He coughed delicately before broaching the next topic. "I heard from Australia that he was trying to date you? That was a few months ago."

"Pfft. He just likes to call me because I'm close by. I never take him seriously-aru."

Well, that was a relief. The food came. "But yes, Father's Day is next Sunday." Estonia liked his Father's Day celebrations. He liked all celebrations! "Your holidays are very different, from what I read online. Not like our Western holidays at all."

"True. We have a lot of legends and myths that we honor through holidays-aru." China took time to explain the Water Lantern festival, which was the next one coming up in his country.

"Fascinating," Estonia said, pushing his glasses up his nose. "It must be beautiful."

"All our holidays are beautiful-aru."

They spent the rest of the meal talking of their countries and various differences between them. This was a nice, friendly meal! And Estonia really did like Chinese food. He wasn't upset that they'd come to the Ming Garden tonight. He'd do some research and find a really splendid French restaurant for tomorrow night.

When they got back to the hotel China hugged him. "Thank you. I'd like to stay up and chat more, but it was a long journey for me-aru. Dinner tomorrow night?"

Estonia smiled. "Of course. Have a good rest. I'll see you at the meeting."

China smiled brightly and walked off, flapping a sleeve at him.

In the room, Estonia pulled up the spreadsheet and put a nice bright blue box around China's name. Yes, that nation was just as far away as Australia had been, but it would be worth it. He knew it would.

…

The next morning they met outside the meeting room and embraced. "I found a nice French restaurant for dinner," Estonia smiled. "It's not too far away, either."

"Oh! But my favorite Chinese restaurant is just outside the city-aru."

"We just had Chinese last night!" Estonia blurted in surprise.

"Oh, I know, but this is one of my favorites outside of China. Why don't we try that one tonight? I'd like to show it to you."

China's smile was so adorable that Estonia caved in. "All right. Do we need a cab?"

"Probably. Let's just get through the meeting and talk about it then."

"Okay." They went into the room together and found seats. Romano was wearing his Estonian sweater! That made him happy and he smiled at the half-nation, who blushed and gave a little smile in response.

But overall, today Estonia felt very ill-at-ease. For one thing he was astonished that China was pushing another Chinese restaurant on him. In _Paris!_ There were so many outstanding French restaurants in Paris that he couldn't believe this. Well, there were three more nights after tonight. Still time to explore French restaurants.

For another thing, he kept catching both Canada and Bulgaria shooting furtive glances at him. Bulgaria's normally pleasant face wore a near-constant scowl, and Canada was furiously blushing all day. Estonia didn't quite know what to make of it.

At the end of the meeting China was collared by Russia about something, so Estonia packed up his laptop. Then he felt a hesitant tap on the shoulder. Surprised, he looked up to see the still-blushing Canada standing by.

"I – I wanted to talk to you, Eduard," he breathed, not meeting Estonia's eyes. "I wanted to apologize to you. I shouldn't have gotten so angry. Everybody calls me America; I ought to be used to it by now. I – I'm sorry." He finally glanced up, the fading sunlight glinting off his glasses. "W-will you forgive me?"

"Uh, uh, well, of course I forgive you," he stammered. Now what? Did this mean Canada – _Matthew_ – wanted to date him again?

"C-could we have dinner together? There's a nice French restaurant I know, where probably no one would find us, and we could catch up?" Matthew's expression was so sweet that Estonia almost gathered him into an embrace –

And then China walked up behind him and slipped his arms around Estonia's waist. "Ready for dinner-aru?" he said cheerfully, rubbing his cheek against Estonia's.

The Baltic nation watched Mat—_Canada's _eyes widen, then fall. "S-sorry," he whispered, leaving the room, downcast. Damn.

"Yes, I'm ready," he told the Asian nation, as heartily as he could manage. "Let's go."

…

Upon their arrival back at the hotel – after a delicious Chinese dinner – the two of them headed to the bar for drinks. They could see Veneziano in the corner, crying, with Prussia and England, but otherwise there wasn't much happening. Estonia led his date to a corner booth. He still hadn't been able to hold China's hand. Those sleeves – !

"Did you enjoy dinner-aru?"

"I did," he replied, "but I really do want to go out for French food tomorrow night. Are you game?"

"Of course. I did promise you. Sorry I've been so overbearing about it, but I adore my country's cuisine-aru."

The waiter brought their drinks. After sipping his rice wine, China snuggled right up next to Estonia, who blushed, but smiled.

The two nations didn't speak much, although they got closer and closer on the bench seat as they consumed more and more alcohol. Soon Estonia found himself lifting China's arm, trying to find the actual hand in the sleeve. China giggled. "You want to take my robe off-aru?"

Estonia blushed again. "Mostly I just want to find your hand," he admitted, and both of them burst into laughter, startling the other patrons.

China shook his sleeves back and took Estonia's hand in his. "Let me read your palm," he suggested, bringing the Baltic nation's hand very close to his eyes to focus.

Estonia leaned back on the seat. This could be interesting. Of course he didn't believe in all this superstitious mumbo-jumbo, but China might find out something unusual from reading his palm.

"Hmm…hmm…" China's elegant fingers traced the lines of his palm. "Yes, yes! Fascinating! I had no idea-aru!"

"What is it?" Estonia breathed. Maybe some secret thing about his personality?

"You like Chinese food!" the Asian nation cackled, letting go of his hand and rocking with laughter.

In his somewhat inebriated state Estonia too found this very funny, and laughed so hard that his glasses fell off. "Oh, China, I'm so drunk," he realized.

"Me too-aru. I – I think I need to get back to my room-aru. Especially since we have a meeting tomorrow."

"G-good idea." Estonia fumbled for his glasses and put them back on. "Come on, I'll help you get to your room. Aru."

China started howling with laughter again and they stumbled out of the bar to their separate rooms.

…

During the next day's meeting everyone seemed to be in a minor uproar. Estonia, taking notes on his laptop, couldn't quite understand why, although the drama apparently had something to do with Prussia. China too was in a bit of a flap. Well, he'd find out about it at dinner, he supposed. He'd already chosen a restaurant that France recommended highly. Estonia daydreamed of escargot and crème caramel, while the meeting ran on.

Near the end of the day everyone started screaming at Prussia and chased him out of the room; China was in that group. The remaining nations waited patiently so the day's meeting could adjourn, but none of those people came back.

Fifteen minutes later France gave up. "Well, _mes amis_, we might as well break for the day."

Denmark and Romano began laughing. Estonia ignored them, packing up his gear, and headed out to look for his date.

…

Hours later he still hadn't been able to locate China, so he'd defaulted to the hotel restaurant for a lonely dinner. He wasn't happy.

…

The next morning China bounced up to him happily for a hug. "Good morning-aru! How are you today?"

"Where did you go last night?" he grumbled. China hadn't even called to say he was busy elsewhere!

"Oh, well, we chased Prussia all the way down the street, and ended up near the Ming Garden again, so a bunch of us had dinner there-aru."

Estonia scowled, but China didn't seem to notice his distress. "Meeting time," the Asian then said happily.

"Are we having dinner tonight?" He almost didn't want to ask. How could China have been so indifferent to him?

"Sure. Not the Ming Garden, though. Maybe we could try the Szechuan Panda-aru?"

"China, _no!_" Estonia felt bad for yelling but the week was almost over and he hadn't had a chance to go to a French restaurant yet. "I want to go to a French restaurant!"

"All right, all right. Don't yell-aru. Let's go sit down and get through the meeting." China patted his arm and they went into meeting room K.

Prussia didn't appear today. Estonia still had no idea what had been happening yesterday, and he was irritated with China. Well, at least they had the French restaurant to look forward to.

…

The two nations walked arm-in-arm down the Champs-Élysées towards the restaurant Estonia had chosen. "Oh, look! I didn't know about this one-aru." China pointed to a tiny little Chinese restaurant sandwiched in between a bookseller's and a wine bar. "Why don't we go here for dinner?"

Estonia stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. "I can't believe you! Every night this week we've had Chinese. Well, except yesterday, because you ditched me without telling me! China, you need to be more flexible."

"Flexible-aru? I can't believe you're being so overbearing." China sniffed and folded his arms. "I'm going to eat at this little place. Are you joining me or not?"

A long vista of the future, filled with nothing but Chinese food, stretched out in Estonia's mind's eye. "No," he decided. "Thanks for the dates, but this just isn't working out."

"Suit yourself-aru. Talk to you later."

And that was that! China went into the little restaurant without a backward glance. Estonia stood on the sidewalk in anger for another moment or two, and then he stormed off to the French restaurant to dine alone.

And when Canada and Bulgaria walked in together, he got up, leaving his half-eaten meal on the table, and left.

…

_Poor, poor Estonia-aru._

_Next: Cuba. Or...?_


	11. A Gauche Date

**A Gauche Date.**

Estonia had waffled quite a bit about asking Cuba for a date. He was beginning to get very distressed about the whole plan, and also, that country always seemed to be going through upheavals. But in a fit of determination he made the call, and Cuba was amenable, so off to Cuba he went.

It was almost Christmastime. It would be nice to have a partner to share the holidays with, instead of having to hang out with Latvia again. He'd try to be pleasant and accommodating. Too bad Canada now seemed to be dating Bulgaria.

He spent most of his time on the flight contemplating that unlikely couple, wondering what Bulgaria would say if Canada asked him to spend the night.

Then Estonia began fidgeting in his seat and forced himself to think about city demographics and health care.

When he got off the plane his host was right there waiting for him. "Hey, man," Cuba said, smacking him heartily on the back. "Nice to see you could make it."

"It's much warmer than I'd expected." But Estonia _had_ done weather research. No more Australia-type blunders for him!

"Thought we could go to a music festival tonight. That all right with you?"

"Sure. I love learning about other cultures. I read up a little on some of your things before I got here."

"Come on. We can walk; it's not far."

The two nations wandered down the street towards the festival grounds where the music would be played. "Do you like ice cream?" his host asked. "They sell good stuff there."

"Ice cream is fine. I know your neighbor America really loves his ice cream," the Baltic nation joked.

This generic comment had an alarming effect! Cuba began grinding his teeth and scowling. Estonia hurriedly sought for a new topic. "Are you preparing for Christmas?"

Cuba settled down. "Yes, and I'm looking forward to Nochebuena, when we have such a big feast. I love the holidays," he sighed, patting his stomach.

"Who doesn't?" They laughed together and entered the park. "Is this a concert by one group, or will there be many different groups playing?"

"Tonight there are five groups or individuals playing," Cuba explained, leading Estonia to an ice cream stand. "What flavor do you like?"

"Surprise me!"

And boy, was Estonia surprised. Cuba handed him a cone stacked with four scoops – _four scoops!_ – of ice cream! How was he supposed to eat all this?

Of course, this now explained how Cuba himself got to be so burly. "Wh-what flavors are they?" he asked shyly. He hoped he could eat it all, and not disappoint his host!

"Top to bottom, pistachio, cotton candy, caramel and blueberry." Cuba grinned and eagerly began eating the pistachio on his own cone, while he led Estonia to a wide patch of lawn where they could sit to enjoy the music.

The Baltic nation began madly trying to eat this monstrosity before it melted and dripped all over him, but it was already beginning to soften in the heat. Cuba didn't make conversation, being focused on his own cone, so Estonia applied himself manfully to the task, although a little part of his brain knew he must look like an idiot, gulping it down. He wondered why Cuba chose this bizarre combo of flavors. Maybe it was a test.

Musicians came on the stage and people applauded, but Estonia was still fighting this extreme dessert so he didn't bother. But by the time the group had finished the first song, the blond – who fumbled for his handkerchief to wipe the smears of ice cream off his face – was done, and he was able to applaud politely, though he also had to work to suppress a belch. "Nice music," he managed to say, a little out of breath. "Reminds me of America's Salsa music."

Cuba's face began to turn red as he finished up his cone, but he didn't say anything, because his mouth was full. By the time he'd completed his snack – and Estonia had shifted a little further away from him – a new song had begun, so neither nation spoke. The Baltic nation watched out of the corner of his eye as Cuba's hands, which had clenched into fists, began to relax.

Boy. He was really temperamental. Estonia wondered what was bothering him so much.

He deemed it wiser not to comment, and simply enjoyed the music as they sat and listened. On the field, people were dancing, laughing, and hugging each other, but Cuba and his date simply sat on the lawn and listened. Every now and then someone would walk past and wave to the host nation, who always smiled and waved in return. That was nice. A good rapport with his people.

Whenever Estonia caught his eye, he too smiled, and Cuba was now reclining, grinning, and snapping his fingers in time with the music. So Estonia lounged back, propping himself up with his elbows. "Do you have a lot of music festivals?"

"Yeah, pretty much. People like to get out and about, and we do have great music." Cuba grinned at him. "How about you?"

"We actually do have quite a few. Probably for the same reasons. But wow, this music is so different from mine! Very snappy."

Cuba didn't ask for an invitation to visit to compare music styles, and Estonia was a little too nervous to offer, just yet. Well, if the date went well, he'd ask later.

A little later – presumably after his digestion had settled – Cuba stood up and began to dance. "Come on, Estonia! Get up and dance!"

So Estonia got up to dance. It was very lively, and by now everyone was up and enjoying the music.

…

A few hours later the festival wound down. Estonia and Cuba grinned at each other. "Good for the soul as well as the body," his host told him, and that was probably true.

The Baltic nation took off his glasses to wipe his sweating face. "Awesome," he laughed. He felt _great!_ Exhausted, but great. "I haven't danced like that in a long time. Not since – oh, probably during the summer, when I was at America's place," he considered. There had been casual dancing at Denmark's birthday party at the water park, and he'd done a fair share of it.

But Cuba erupted into sudden anger, startling him. "Estonia, you have the worst manners of any nation I've ever met! Will you please shut up about America? You say you did research before you came here – didn't you understand the kind of stupid ass that guy is, when it comes to me? Shut up about him! He's my worst enemy!"

Estonia was taken aback. Yes, he knew Cuba and the US had weak relations. He simply hadn't realized just how bad things really were – at least from the Latin nation's perspective. "S-sorry," he whispered. "I'm sorry."

"Ah, forget it," Cuba muttered, and Estonia was grateful that he was dropping the subject so easily…until his host continued speaking, and the blond realized he'd completely misunderstood. "Forget it," Cuba repeated. "I can't deal with the idea of dating someone who thinks and talks about America so highly. I had fun dancing with you, Estonia, but…I don't want another date."

"Okay," Estonia shrugged, trying to keep it low-key.

"Let's get you back to the airport." Cuba strode off down the street and Estonia hastened to follow.

At the airport they politely shook hands but Estonia was fuming inside, and Cuba didn't look happy either. "See you around," he said.

"Thanks again." Estonia tried to put a little warmth into his voice – Cuba had at least been polite and friendly – but his host shrugged and left the airport without any further comment.

It wasn't until the airplane had taken off that he realized that, once again, it was America who had thwarted his date! Was the heroic nation actually his – his _love nemesis_? He snorted at that idea, startling the flight attendant.

No, this was all just dumb bad luck. Cuba and America had a bad relationship, and Estonia should have kept his mouth shut.

He decided to spend Christmas alone – or maybe with Latvia – and revisit this idiotic project in the New Year.

…

_Gah, America really is a pest, but in this case it's not me doing it. Cuba's relations with the US have been truly abysmal._

_Next: Cyprus, a character I know next-to-nothing about. Research time…_


	12. A Holiday Treat

**A Holiday Treat.**

Estonia woke up on Boxing Day rather disgruntled. He'd spent a desultory day with Latvia for Christmas, baking and halfheartedly swapping stories, but in the end the little nation bowed out early to go make merry with his micronation friends. In a rather Scrooge-like mood, Estonia had watched a Christmas movie and gone to bed early. Sometimes, he felt, it simply wasn't worth getting out of bed in the morning.

But get out of bed he did, conscientiously showering and dressing in clean casual wear before heading downstairs for some coffee and marzipan. He took the iffy breakfast to his computer to see if anything noteworthy was happening elsewhere in the world.

By the time he'd finished reading the tech news, his coffee was gone. Estonia rose to go to the kitchen for more, and the doorbell rang. He wondered who it could be. No nations had made plans with him for today.

He opened the door. "Kesesese! Merry Christmas!"

Huh. Prussia, Denmark, Romano and England stood before his door, each bearing a gift and wearing matching knitted accessories. All four of them were smiling brightly. Even Romano.

"Well? Are you going to invite us in?" Denmark asked, poking him.

"I do hope we haven't come at a bad time? Certainly if you're busy we can go," England, the consummate British gentleman, offered.

"No, no! Please come in. I was simply surprised." He opened the door wider and the four friends streamed in.

"Hey, looks nice!" Denmark told him.

It did look nice, Estonia had to admit. He'd gone a bit overboard with decorating this year – perhaps to conceal the irritation in his soul, the stupid run of bad dates he'd had. But it had been well worth the effort. It had never seemed quite so festive before, even to his own jaded eyes.

"What brings you by?" he wondered.

"We thought you might not be having such a great Christmas," Prussia said, before Romano kicked him. "Ow. Well, you know it's true. I heard you were dating Canada, but that it didn't work out."

England punched him. "Gilbert, you're a first-class wanker. Why don't you have more tact?"

"Tact, my ass," Romano muttered, sinking into a couch. "Potato bastards don't have the finer nuances of social control."

This made Denmark laugh hysterically. "Like you do? 'Bastard'? Or you, 'git'?" He kept howling and flopped down next to Romano, who crossed his arms and huffed.

Oh, Estonia was feeling better already. Laughter was good for you! "May I get you anything to eat or drink?"

"We wondered whether we could do a little more sightseeing," Denmark confessed. "Since we only had that little time on the cruise. But if you're busy, or don't want to – "

"No, I don't mind at all!" Estonia was now eager to spend time with the four friends. Even with the manic Prussia. "Did you have breakfast? We can visit some bakeries while we're out."

He did not understand why all four of them immediately vetoed bakeries.

"Ah, never mind, bastard. We did have breakfast, but we can stop wherever, if anyone's hungry."

"Right! Come on, grab your coat, Estonia, and let's go!"

So he grabbed his coat, and they went.

…

Because the weather was much colder than it had been on their last visit, today's sightseeing was mostly done at indoor attractions. But the friends seemed to be exerting themselves to cheer Estonia, and he felt quite good about spending time with them.

"So what's all this Canada business?" Prussia asked over lunch, evoking scowls from both Romano and England again.

"It's nothing," he sighed. "Just a date that didn't work out."

"I can see that. Canada's a bit mousy."

"You used to date him, right, git?"

Estonia blanched. Talk about tactless! England shouldn't be mentioning that in front of Denmark!

But – "Because Den was with Norway, yeah. I mean, Canada makes good pancakes with maple syrup, but…I don't know. He's a nice guy, just not my type."

Wow. Estonia felt the blood flow back to his face as he listened to the friends talk. This unvarnished talk was almost – _almost_ – making him wish he could hang out with these four more often.

And then Romano said, "Don't be a dick," and Prussia said "Ow," possibly because the brunet had kicked him.

So maybe Estonia really wouldn't want to hang out with them very often. He was rather tense when this sort of thing happened.

"You should find somebody better to date," Denmark put in. "Someone more suited to you."

"Well, I'm trying!" Estonia blurted, before remembering his manners. But he wasn't going to tell them about the spreadsheet. Suddenly it seemed too personal_. _"I'm trying," he said in a more subdued, almost despondent, voice.

Immediately all four of them began offering dating advice, suggestions for partners, places to explore with a date. "Just stay away from Hungary," Prussia told him. "That frying pan is brutal."

"Don't I know it," England agreed. "Went to visit Austria one day – just to _visit_ the git – and she brained me." He rubbed his head in remembrance.

"Poor bastard." But Romano was snickering. "Don't go after the macho potato," he then told Estonia. "My brother's very, very possessive of him." He rolled his eyes. "I can't actually see _why,_ but he is."

"Because West is awesome, Romano, and you know it, but you're afraid to admit it! Kesesese! He's almost as awesome as me."

"No way," his friends chorused, making Estonia laugh.

"Well, whoever you end up dating, I'm sure you'll make a good go of it." England patted Estonia's hand paternally. "You've got a good head on your shoulders."

That was the whole problem, Estonia supposed. He was too level-headed, trying to deal with temperamental dates. With a suppressed sigh he thought of Bulgaria…and then Cuba…Cameroon…"Oh, forget it. Let's get out of here," he said, throwing some bills on the table to pay the lunch bill.

The others rose as well and followed him out the door.

…

At the end of the day they returned to Estonia's home and presented him with the gifts they'd brought. "You really didn't need to do this," he told them all, smiling as he unwrapped Denmark's present.

"But it was fun," Romano admitted. "It's always fun to think of gifts for people."

"And this was a group effort." Denmark elbowed Estonia as he opened a box of Lego bricks.

"Legos! I love Legos," he sighed, "but I never play with them anymore."

"We play with them all the time, kesesese! Here!" Prussia handed him a flat package, which turned out to contain Lego mats.

"Ah, I see a theme emerging," he grinned. "Okay. Bricks and mats." He set the mats aside and opened a big gift bag. "Minifigures?"

"That's right, bastard. I scrounged all the minifigures I could find, so there are no duplicates."

"That's really cool, Romano! Thanks." He smiled, and Romano blushed. He really hadn't considered the Italian to be so thoughtful.

The final box, from England, contained an assortment of Lego doors and windows. "Can't build a town with bricks alone," the island nation smiled.

"Thank you all. This is – really nice of you. Very much in the Christmas spirit, and so on."

_"Peace and harmony shit," _Prussia muttered with a laugh, startling him, but the others ignored it.

Denmark shook his hand and wished him well. "We do have to be going. But I think we all had a fun time hanging out with you today. Good luck with the dating."

"Cheh. We made a vow not to meddle in anybody's love life anymore, otherwise I'm sure you'd have gotten a lot more 'advice.'" The air quotes clicked into place as Romano concluded his sentence, and England poked him.

"Good luck," they all chorused. Each of the visitors shook hands with their host and bundled into winter gear. "And happy New Year!" Prussia called out, as they went out the door.

"Thanks again! See you all soon!"

They waved at Estonia and hustled off in the cold December air. He closed the door and leaned against it, smiling. Maybe he'd build something with his new Legos. It would be stressless and fun, and remind him of the mostly-fun day he'd just had. Yeah.

…

_Skirmish Brothers now has 100 faves (*sparkly eyes*) (thank you all!) so I put them in this chapter to celebrate. Besides, Estonia needed cheering up._


	13. Happy New Year

_Yay! Wikinet is back up, so I can do character research again! Sorry for the delay._

_This is concurrent with the final chapter of Skirmish Brothers, ch. 67, which takes place at Romania's New Year's Eve party. _

…

**Happy New Year.**

Faced with a choice of two New Years' parties, Estonia had opted for Greece's. The weather would be warmer than Romania's, certainly, but also, Cyprus, who was the next nation on the spreadsheet, was more likely to be there. This would provide a perfect romantic opportunity. Estonia sighed happily as he headed south. He'd get Cyprus alone somewhere, tell him how much he always appreciated the island nation's peace-loving nature, and hopefully talk him into a date. Cyprus was pretty cute, too. Yeah, this would work out just fine.

Estonia wore a dark formal suit, his hair carefully combed and his glasses highly-polished. He looked good tonight, and he knew it.

Greece invited him inside with a lethargic smile. The house was decorated cheerily for the holidays…with lots of paper cutouts of cats wearing Christmas hats, or cats sleeping under Christmas trees. Many live cats prowled around, too, and Greece was wearing a black cat scoodie whose ears were pierced with gold jingle bells. "I'm…glad you could…make it," the host said, jingling. "Please…feel free…to wander around…the house…Drinks are in the…kitchen…"

Estonia wondered if he'd get as far as the G's in his spreadsheet, and sort of hoped he wouldn't. He thanked Greece and walked further in, greeting the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, and Turkey. "I'm surprised to see you here," he said to the older nation.

"Eh, Greece and I can put aside our differences for the holidays! Right, Greecey? Right? Right!" He punched the host.

"Ow…yeah…whatever…"

"Is your brother here?" Estonia asked TRNC. "I'd like to talk to him."

"Yes. He's in here somewhere. I think he's talking to Norway in the kitchen."

So Norway was here, too! He'd assumed all the Nordics would be going to Romania for that party. "Thank you," he said politely, turning his steps in that direction.

Behind him he heard a loud bellow from Turkey. "Hey, Jappy! Good to see you!" Estonia peered back over his shoulder to see Turkey enveloping the red-faced Japan in a big bear hug.

"Let go of…my guest..."

"Turkey-san!" Japan struggled to say; Turkey let go.

"Ah ha ha ha, Jappy, you're so much fun to tease. Happy New Year. It's great to see you."

"H-happy new year, Turkey-san."

By now Estonia was out of earshot and found the kitchen. No Cyprus here, though, just France, pouring drinks, and Spain, drinking drinks. "_Bon soir_, Estonia! What are you drinking tonight?"

"Hi," he smiled to both of them. "I – I'll just have a glass of white wine, I guess." As France found a bottle and poured him a glass, he spoke to Spain. "I guess you couldn't make yourself go to Romania's place, right? Too cold?"

"Too cold, too far away. _Francia_ and I decided to visit Greece and enjoy the nicer weather. Would you like a churro?" He gestured to a plate by his side, stacked high with the treats.

"Thank you." Estonia took his wine glass from France and a churro from the plate. "Does Greece make these especially for you?"

"No," Spain smiled. "I had to bring them myself. But at least I know there will be something edible here, not mice or grape leaves."

"M-mice?" Estonia squeaked. Even during the worst famines in his country, no one had ever eaten _mice._

France laughed and patted him on the shoulder. "It's a Greek delicacy. But you don't have to eat it. There are plenty of other tasty treats here."

"Th-thank you for the warning, though." He finished the delicious churro and wanted another, but if Spain had dragged them all the way here, he didn't want to be rude and take them from him. "Have you seen Cyprus?"

"_S__í__,_ he was just in here; _Francia_ made him a whiskey sour."

"You're playing bartender all night?"

"No. I just got stuck here. Want the job?" France and Spain both chuckled at that.

"No, thanks!" Estonia grabbed the wine glass and beat a hasty retreat.

Out in the large main room, he saw Norway, Sweden and Finland huddled together. He waved politely to them, passing through, seeking Cyprus.

Eventually he ran him to ground on the back deck of the home, staring up into the sky with a wistful expression. The smaller nation didn't even look around as Estonia approached, but spoke quietly. "Wouldn't you like to visit the stars?"

What a charming opening. Estonia moved to his side. "I have often thought it would be interesting to journey in space, although my heart would still be here at home."

But Cyprus jumped. "Oh! I – I'm sorry. I thought you were – were someone else." In the full moonlight his face glowed; his confusion was evident.

"Forgive me. But it was an interesting discussion nonetheless." Estonia moved a bit closer. "I'm actually glad to find you alone. I've been wondering whether you'd like to go on a date with me sometime. I'd love to come see your home." He smiled encouragingly.

"M-me? Wh-what – I – oh, I'm so sorry! Th-there's someone else I'm interested in. Th-that's who I thought was coming out on the deck with me. I'm so sorry!" Cyprus was now red-faced and turned away.

"That's all right. I apologize if I've caused you distress." Estonia tried to make his voice calm and mature. "Would you like me to leave you alone?"

"I'll go," Cyprus offered, and scurried into the house.

Well, that was disappointing. On the other hand, Estonia hadn't really been emotionally invested in the idea of dating him. For one thing, he'd heard the island nation was a bed-wetter. While that rumor may have been Poland's idea of a joke, Estonia still wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea. What if they'd ended up sharing a bed, like he'd done with Canada, and the rumor was true? Ugh.

Then he wondered whether Canada and Bulgaria would be here tonight. Damn.

No. Bulgaria was a good, good friend of Romania's, so they'd probably be at that party.

Estonia daydreamed a little, staring up at the stars much as Cyprus had been doing, and then he felt a gentle touch on his back. He jumped. "Oh! Norway. Hello."

"Hello." Norway, a drink in hand, came to stand next to him at the deck's railing. "Pretty night," the Nordic nation said.

"Yes. I'm always so optimistic on New Year's. A fresh start. Like something really great is going to happen in the New Year." Estonia sighed. "More often than not, though, it's the same old runaround."

"I know." Alone on the deck, the two of them stargazed for a while without talking.

"Can I get you another drink?" the Baltic nation then asked politely, noticing that his companion's glass was empty.

"No. Would you like to go out with me?" Norway said flatly, still eying the nighttime sky.

"Wh-what?" Estonia lost his breath. Someone was asking him for a date!

And it was _Norway? _"Oh," he realized. "Denmark put you up to this?" His tone was sad. He didn't want a pity date, for crying out loud! Damn Denmark. What an interfering, bossy nation he was. Just because he knew Estonia was in the market –

But Norway turned frowning eyes to him. "_Danmark_? No." Those eyes traveled up and down Estonia's confused face. "Will you?"

"Ah – I – I guess, sure," he stammered, by now only concerned about getting his alphabetical progression out of order. Then he realized that was an idiotic concern and squared his shoulders. "Yes, Norway, I'd like to go out with you! Then we really can have a good start to the new year." He smiled as the idea grew on him. "Yes."

"Good." A tiny smile appeared on the Nordic's face, but he didn't speak any further.

This was still a little confusing, but Estonia decided to roll with it. He turned back to the stars.

"Ve!" they heard behind them. "Happy new year, Norway and Estonia!"

"Happy new year, Italy," both of them said, turning. North Italy was clinging to a blushing Germany's arm and beaming. "Hi, Germany," Estonia added.

"Hello. It is a very nice night here in Greece, isn't it?" He raised his beer bottle in a toast, lifting Veneziano off the ground slightly.

"It's always nice in Greece. Just like in Italy, ve. And look, it's a full moon!" Veneziano let go of Germany and came to the deck railing. "I love to think of the moon shining down on all the nations of the earth. It's like a blessing, you know? And a full moon on New Year's, ve, how awesome."

"Speaking of awesome, is Prussia going to be here?"

"Ah, no," Germany replied. "He went to Romania's party with – ah – with Denmark." He blushed as he met Norway's eyes, but the Nordic nation didn't react.

"Ve, Romano and England are there too. I bet it's spooky, with a full moon at that place!"

"Still, Italy, your idea of the moon as a benediction is very poetic." Estonia pushed his glasses up his nose. "As if it's shining down to bind us all in harmony."

"Ve, that's pretty poetic too!" All three of the others were now smiling at him, even Norway (though his smile was very, very subtle). Maybe Norway appreciated poetry? Estonia had a lot of research to do. He hadn't planned on getting to the N's for a long time.

Germany put his arm around Italy. "I'm glad the world is becoming a safer place."

The other three made noises of agreement.

"Come," Norway then said, touching Estonia lightly on the sleeve of his jacket. "Leave them some peace."

"Ve, that's nice of you, Norway." Veneziano cuddled up to the blushing Germany again. "Have fun at the party!"

Together the Baltic and Nordic nations walked inside, adjusting to the louder noise level. "Would you like a fresh drink?"

"Yes. Thanks." Norway led the way back to the tiny kitchen, where Hungary, Austria and Switzerland were all crammed behind the bar, apparently looking for mixers.

"Hi!" Hungary shouted, her eyes flicking from Norway to Estonia and back again before lighting up delightedly. "Want a drink?"

"Don't offer them drinks; we can't find anything," Switzerland growled. Only the top of his beret was visible above the bar.

Austria, meanwhile, struggled with a corkscrew and a fresh bottle of wine. "I don't know why he doesn't have someone here doing bartender duty," he snarled. "This is ridiculous."

"Then don't drink," Estonia suggested. "Just go enjoy the party!"

"This party is too casual. I like formal parties. But – but _Hungary_ wanted to see all the _cats_." Austria's voice dripped with venom.

"Oh, don't be silly," she said. "Cats are cute, and you know Romania brings back bad memories for you." She picked up a nearby cat and cuddled it.

"We could have gone to China's party. I don't get to see the Asian nations enough."

"Will you two shut up and help me find the damn vermouth?" Switzerland yelled, still crouched behind the bar.

Norway and Estonia looked at each other in panic. "I don't need a drink."

"Me neither," Estonia said, and they fled the room. "Whew."

"Very touchy," his now-date agreed. He led the way back to the room where Estonia had first seen him talking to Sweden and Finland. Those two were now nestled together in a corner, flirting with each other. This always – _always_ – surprised Estonia. Finland, he could completely understand. But watching the quiet Swede tickle Finland under the chin, or bend down to (presumably) coo words of love into his partner's ear with a smile – that baffled the Baltic nation, and he often spent quiet time during meetings, pondering this.

"Moi moi! Hi, guys!" Finland chortled. "Nice to see you, Estonia. Why are you carrying an empty wine glass around?"

Estonia explained the drama at the bar.

"Sw'tzerland's too uptight. He'll be all right a lit'l lat'r."

"Once he has a drink or ten," Finland agreed.

Estonia always felt comfortable talking to the Nordics. "How were your Christmases?"

"We didn't have as much snow this year as usual. But Santa managed to come to everyone, and I got a new set of snowshoes! So did Sweden!"

"I go through'm pretty quickly. 'S nice t'get th' latest model."

"What about you, Norway?" Finland asked. "Anything new and exciting for Christmas?"

Norway's eyes drifted to the ceiling as he thought. "No," he eventually said.

"Oh, well. Maybe the new year will bring something new and exciting."

Estonia darted a peek at Norway and saw him blushing, with a tiny little smile. This made the Baltic nation smile, too.

"Y'two are datin'?"

Oh, that was forward of Sweden. "Uh – uh – "

"Yes," Norway said flatly, and conversation ground to a halt.

"I'll see if the bar's safe now," Estonia decided. "What are you drinking, anyway, Norway?"

"White wine."

"Okay. Stay put!" he called out, practically running from the room.

He felt intensely embarrassed by Sweden's question. Of course Sweden and Norway were close – like all the Nordics – but to ask that question point-blank! And, he and Norway weren't _really_ dating. Not yet. What could he say?

The bar was completely empty of people; he found the bottle that Austria had been struggling with – still with the corkscrew embedded in the cork – and opened it, pouring a glass each for himself and his…new boyfriend? He grinned. Might as well step up and deal with it.

On his way back to the big room, he bumped into Canada, sloshing a little wine onto his hand. "Oh! I – I'm sorry, Mat- uh, Canada." He tried discreetly to blot the back of his hand on his jacket.

But Canada smiled nicely at him. "That's all right. Happy new year, Eduard."

"A-are you here with Bulgaria?" He despised himself for asking, but he had to know. Both of those nations had been great dates, each in his own way, and he still felt extremely bad about the way they'd both ended up.

Matthew's expression grew sad. "N-no. He – I – we don't hang out any more," he concluded, in a weaker tone than usual.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up any bad memories."

"It's all right. I'm – " He interrupted himself as Cyprus came barreling out of a side hallway and hugged him.

"There you are, Canada! I've been looking all over for you!"

Estonia froze as the shy Cyprus began planting kisses all over Matthew's red face. _That's_ who he'd been waiting for? "Uh! See you, Canada," he blurted, hurrying back to Norway with the wine.

"There," he panted, handing over the glass. Sweden and Finland had moved on, and Norway was now standing with Japan. Neither spoke, but Norway took a deep drink from the glass, as though something had happened and he needed to stabilize his nerves. Estonia did the same.

"Hi, Japan."

"Estonia-san. Are you enjoying the party?"

"It's another wild one! Switzerland is here, and he's crabby. Be careful!" he said playfully.

But Japan surprised him with his response. "I can handle Switzerland."

And in fact a flushed Switzerland came up to them with a drink in hand. "Japan. Hello."

"You are not in a good mood today, Switzerland-san?"

"I need another drink. Austria made me bring this damn Nerf gun again. I don't even know why I listen to him."

"Because you love him." This comment, coming from Norway, stunned the small group into silence.

"I haven't even seen him yet." Japan placed a hand on Switzerland's sleeve. "Take me to him? I want to pay my respects."

"Sure." The two left the corner of the room.

"Where would you like to go for our first date?" Estonia wondered. Now that they were alone he felt comfortable discussing it.

"Hiking?"

"In January? I don't really mind, but it's not the time of year I'd have chosen for it."

"My country has warm areas in January. See the Midnight Sun?"

Estonia had heard of this phenomenon but never yet experienced it. "Yes, please! I would love to see that."

"Okay. Hiking and camping to see the Midnight Sun."

"That really does sound fun. When do you want to go?"

"Next Friday."

Norway was a very decisive nation! "A-all right."

Screams and yells began pouring from an upstairs room. Greece, moving faster than Estonia had ever seen him move, jingled up the stairs with Turkey in hot pursuit. "Hurry it up, Greecey!" the older nation shouted, poking his host in the back.

"Wonder what that's all about?"

Norway shrugged.

In moments, Greece came jingling back down the steps pushing Austria and Hungary; Turkey pinned the struggling Switzerland's arms behind him. "Thank you for coming…but you had all better…leave now…"

"But it's not even midnight!" Hungary screeched.

"I don't want…my party disrupted…by your…romantic problems…"

"Romantic problems?" Estonia whispered to Norway, who shrugged.

"Damn you, Austria!" Switzerland yelled. A cat streaked past; he broke free of Turkey and shot at it with the Nerf gun, though he missed. "Damn!"

"Get out," Turkey said, shaking him and shoving him towards the front door. "If Greecey wants you to go, go."

"Do you really want us all to leave?" Austria asked politely.

Greece took a deep breath. "Yes! My cats…you _shot_…"

"But I didn't get to pet all the cats!" Hungary yelled.

"That's the magic word," Estonia whispered again. Norway nodded, and indeed, Greece caved in.

"All right…you can stay…just be nice…" He jingled off towards the kitchen. The Alpine nation scowled and stalked out of the room in one direction and Hungary dragged Austria off in another.

"So much for the moon blessing all the nations." Estonia pushed his glasses up his nose. A cat rubbed against his leg.

"Forget them. Come outside?"

Why not. Probably Italy and Germany had moved on. He nodded and followed Norway out back again.

But someone had put music on, and nations were dancing wildly around the deck. Germany pressed his lips together and kept his eyes on the horizon as he danced with Veneziano; Hungary was shaking her hips wildly, although Austria was a lot more subdued. France and Spain kept trying to pull Japan onto the dance floor, but he was resisting.

"Want to dance?" Estonia asked. Norway shook his head _no_ and went back into the house.

Huh. That was weird. Did he want Estonia to come with him? Maybe he was having second thoughts. If he didn't like dancing, and he thought Estonia did –

"Come in!" Norway said from the doorway. _Oh._

For the rest of the evening the two of them stayed wedged in the corner of the living room, empty glasses in hand, watching the other nations and not saying much. Estonia hadn't considered, before, Norway's taciturn nature. He himself was a talker. It might be tough to deal with someone who didn't speak much.

On the other hand, Finland was more of a gabber than he was, and Sweden was pretty damn reticent, too. And they got along just fine. It shouldn't be a problem.

"It's…soon midnight…" Greece drifted through the room so slowly that his jingle bells didn't make a noise.

"Ve!" they heard. "Kiss for good luck!" People began setting their drinks on tables to have hands free.

All the nations at the party crowded into the living room for the countdown. "Πέντε, τέσσερα, τρία, δύο, ένα! Ευτυχισμένος ο καινούριος χρόνος!"

Cheers and whistles erupted as the New Year officially began. Nations began kissing one another wildly. Estonia turned to Norway, unsure of how to proceed, and felt a deep shock – and, yes, delight – to find the Nordic nation pressing a hot kiss to his lips. Estonia embraced him and kissed back quite thoroughly. Luckily nobody was paying attention.

It began to slide into erotic kissing; tongues came into play. Estonia stopped thinking and melted into Norway's arms, pressing against him.

Then he saw Canada out of the corner of his eye and it was like a bucket of cold water on him. "Er. Uh. N-Norway. Not here." He drew back and tugged on the hem of his jacket, blushing, and then pushed his glasses up his nose.

"Not here," Norway agreed; his face was red, but his eyes were dreamy. Damn! Estonia was really looking forward to their date next Friday!

…

_I think it was actually the ancient Romans who used to eat grilled mice, not the Greeks, but I used it here anyway._

_Greece's countdown was "Five, four, three, two, one! Happy New Year!" I am relying entirely on the online translator for that one._

_Next up: the date with Norway._

_Norway's official country motto is 'Everything for Norway'! This seems really pushy for this character, so their date might be a little livelier than you might have expected._


	14. An Exhausting Date

_I'm an idiot. Somehow I completely messed up on the research for this one. In January, which is when this chapter takes place, the Midnight Sun is not actually visible. Instead it's "polar night," a time when the sun never fully rises. So this whole chapter is pretty much a fail, but I wrote it anyway to keep things moving along. I apologize to all of you, and will stop foreshadowing the actual date activities (and do better research) so there won't be any more blunders like this._

…

**An Exhausting Date.**

Estonia was in pretty high spirits. He and Norway had their backpacks with their camping gear, and so far they'd had a really lovely day of hiking! He was surprised that Norway was slightly chattier when they were alone, too. Surprised and happy about it. It wasn't stressful to make conversation at all.

His host had discoursed about the area they were now hiking through, as well as the area where they would camp. Even if this hadn't been a date, he'd have enjoyed it. The scenery was beautiful; Norway pleasant and calm. They'd had a tour guide drive them to Narvik and had hiked to one of the Nordic nation's favorite secluded areas in order to set up camp. They actually weren't that far from Sweden, at this point. Estonia idly wondered whether Sweden and Finland ever camped up in this area.

"We can make camp here," Norway told him, gesturing to a clearing protected by tall trees. "If we pitch the tent with the door flap facing this way, we can look out and see the sun all night. Will the brightness bother you?"

"It shouldn't. I sleep with the curtains open at home, and I sometimes nap in the afternoons, when the sun is up. So this sounds like a good plan."

They dropped their bags and began rummaging through them for the required equipment. The first thing Estonia did was open up his portable solar panel and plug in his cell phone.

"Mightn't get reception, up here," Norway pointed out. "But you shouldn't need your phone."

"Oh. All right." But he set it out anyway. Charging his phone by the light of the Midnight Sun! It was worth it just to be able to say he'd done it.

In just a few minutes, working together, they'd pitched the tent and organized their gear. "Come inside," Norway beckoned. "This tent's a little heavy to carry, but it's snug and windproof."

"That's good." Estonia followed him inside and they arranged their sleeping bags.

Once settled in, both lying face-down atop the bags and gazing out the tent flap at the sun on the water, Estonia said quietly, "Thank you for inviting me. It was a big surprise."

"I've been watching you for a little while," Norway confessed. "You're so level-headed. Sometimes I wonder how anyone can deal with these noisy, crazy nations. But I thought we might get along well."

The Baltic nation turned and smiled. "I hope we do. I don't see any problems so far."

"You're good at camping, too!" Norway gave him a little smile. "I worried that I'd have to do all the work."

Estonia was shocked. "That wouldn't be polite at all! It's always good to be helpful. Even if I didn't know what I was doing, I would have asked for instructions."

"See? I do like you. This is just what I mean. Level-headed and sensible."

Estonia sighed. 'Level-headed and sensible' was the curse of his life. He'd love to be thought of as dashing and romantic, like France, or wild and fun like Prussia, but instead he was…_level-headed and sensible_. Still, at this point he knew he wouldn't be able to easily change – and he was also aware that every nation in the world would be suspicious of him, if he tried – so, level-headed and sensible it would have to be. He pictured himself bursting into a world meeting, bearing a rose and cackling maniacally, and shook his head in dismay, imagining the laughter and baffled looks of the other nations. "Your country is so nice," he said, to take his mind off that, "so unspoiled, this far north."

"Most of the northern countries have areas like this. I find it soothing to be up here. I don't have the pressure that I feel when I'm in the busier areas."

"You're not nearly as reticent as you usually are," Estonia agreed.

Norway nodded. "People talk too much, and it makes me shy. But I can relax when I'm alone with someone." He reached out for Estonia's hand; the Nordic nation's skin was cool and soothing, and Estonia smiled. They lay on top of their sleeping bags, gazing romantically at the sun, the beautiful Arctic vista, holding hands, for a while.

"Do you want to zip our sleeping bags together?" Norway gave him a tiny little smile.

Well. That was bold. But Estonia could be bold. "I don't mind," was his response, and then he blushed, pulling his hand away and pushing his glasses up his nose. That was a very rude response; he should have acted more eager. Maybe Norway would think he was indifferent? He didn't want to seem like he was here to take advantage of him, though.

"You're very cute, Estonia. Come on. Let's zip the bags together."

The two of them rose and quickly fixed up the sleeping bags, slipping inside the cocoon that had been warmed by their body heat. "I'm thankful for modern science," the Baltic nation offered. "These sleeping bags are a huge improvement over the ones from the middle of the century."

Norway snuggled closer. "Good thing we generate so much body heat," he agreed, taking Estonia's hand again and rolling over, so that he was on his back. With his other hand he removed his winter hat. His blond hair shone faintly in the reflected sunlight.

He was really adorable. Estonia began to lean down for a kiss, but then the memory of Bulgaria popped into his head. Uh. While Norway didn't seem shy about touching, he might – might not be happy if Estonia suddenly started plastering kisses on him. For one thing, they were miles from everywhere; not so easy to get away, as it had been on the date with Bulgaria.

He felt himself growing embarrassed, as he always did when thinking of that dark-haired nation. He'd been so damn clueless. Well, he absolutely wouldn't make that kind of misstep with Norway or anyone else!

Anyone else? Why was he thinking that way? He was on a date with Norway, who apparently was enjoying it. Why would there be "anyone else" in his future?

"Hello?" Norway said, poking him in the cheek.

"Huh?" He jolted his focus back to the moment. "Oh. I'm sorry."

"It's all right." Norway didn't seem perturbed. "I get distracted too, sometimes. Should we take our clothes off?"

_Eh?_ "I – I – sure," he responded, not wanting to appear gauche.

The two of them hastily disrobed, struggling a little inside the warm sleeping bag, elbows and knees competing for the limited space. Estonia tried to calculate just how much room for movement there was in here. Enough, he supposed. They pulled the discarded clothing out of the bag and tossed it into piles inside the tent.

So…naked, by the light of the Midnight Sun? That was kind of interesting, too. Certainly something to remember. Maybe he and Norway could hike up here every year on this date, the anniversary of their first date. He sighed with happiness and snuggled up, feeling that smooth, clear skin against his.

Norway too moved closer, hooking a leg around Estonia's and pulling their bodies together. "Uh," Estonia said blankly.

"Take your glasses off!" Norway giggled a little.

Estonia let out a little bark of laughter and set the glasses aside before putting his arm hesitantly around his date and leaning in for a kiss.

The Nordic's lips were soft and inviting. They kissed deeply for several moments; he felt the cool hand traveling up and down his side, his bared back. "Uh!" he yelled, as he felt Norway's hand clasping his – his – "Norway, are you serious? I mean, we barely know each other!"

Norway still didn't seem perturbed as his hand stroked Estonia. "Come on, don't be shy. Touch me." His voice was deeper than usual, almost caressing; the Baltic nation reached shyly out and touched Norway in return.

"Oh, that's good, Estonia. Keep it up." The host used his free hand to pull Estonia down for a kiss, and damn, this felt good, even though it was weird.

He let out a little moan of desire; Norway began rubbing his hip and back again, and used his leg to try to pull Estonia on top of him.

Now, Estonia was certainly not backwards in the matter of sex, but this was slightly disturbing. Norway was going too fast.

But it was really only _slightly_ disturbing. He moved atop him, shifting, trying to find a comfortable position for both of them. Of course they both had to let go of each other.

"There's lubricant in my backpack. Hurry it up! I haven't gotten laid since Denmark started dating Prussia!"

That was so freaky that Estonia stopped what he was doing and stared. "_That's_ why you asked me out?"

"Why does anybody ask anyone else out? I mean, the hiking is nice, and all that, but…I need some physical affection."

"So you just want to _get laid_?" The term was a little more vulgar than Estonia would like to use, but he used it.

"Of course. I'm tired of reining myself in. Come on, get the lubricant."

"I – but I – " Hah, was this how Bulgaria had felt? Pressured?

And damn, would he ever get Bulgaria out of his head? Was he going to think about that nation on every single date he had from now on?

"Oh, don't worry," Norway said, interrupting his thoughts. "I'll make sure you're taken care of, too."

"Th-that's not it. This is all so – so matter-of-fact. Clinical."

"That's why I thought you'd be perfect. You'd understand the motivation and deal with it. None of this pawing around, seduction stuff. In fact," he said, with a little mysterious grin, "maybe I can help you become a Nordic nation, if you do well tonight?"

Oh, Estonia wanted to be a Nordic nation, yes, indeed. But – but – at what cost? He was truly floored by all this, and he absently slipped off Norway to lie next to him. He groped for his glasses. Ah, that was better. He felt a little more in control of this weird situation now. "Norway, if all you wanted was sex, why the date? Why the hiking?"

His date gave him a little scowl. "I'm trying to be nice to you. I thought you would like this."

"So this is your version of flowers and candy?" Estonia felt dirty and used, even though they hadn't gotten very far. "It's not a very good tactic."

"Well? Are we going to do this or not?"

Estonia flopped onto his back, staring at the inside of the tent roof. "Do you want to actually date me? Or was this just for quick satisfaction?"

"Started out as quick satisfaction, but, you know, if you're good tonight, then maybe we can keep seeing each other." Norway's arm began moving under the covers in a motion that was unfortunately quite familiar to the Baltic nation.

Oh, _Kristuse_, what should he do? This was really embarrassing. Was Norway really going to masturbate right here in the sleeping bag with him?

On the other hand, it would really be impolite to interrupt _that_ and ask to go home. Damn.

"Hand me my shirt," Norway gasped out, apparently unconcerned.

Estonia fumbled for the shirt and handed it over; Norway slipped it inside the sleeping bag. Dear Lord, Estonia was so embarrassed! Since his date was ignoring him, focused on his own satisfaction, the Baltic nation rolled onto his side, his back to his host, and squeezed his eyes shut. _Please let me get out of this gracefully_, he prayed, even though he was not normally a religious nation. He felt Norway's other hand rest lightly on the muscles of his back, and shivered.

It seemed forever before Norway let out a little gasp and stopped moving. "Why didn't you help?" he asked breathlessly, poking Estonia in the back.

He rolled onto his back again. "I'm – I'm not prepared for something like this, Norway. If we'd been able to get a little closer, then maybe, but this – this is so – abrupt. Truth to tell, I'm freaking out a little." Maybe this honesty would help smooth things out. If they could begin again –

"Yes." Norway took the shirt out from the sleeping bag and tossed it into a corner.

Estonia peered over at him; he was now lying calmly and staring at the ceiling. "Sorry," he offered. "Maybe I'm just too uptight."

"I see."

Oh, damn it all! Now it seemed that Norway was back to his reticent self. Estonia hated that. He'd never have any idea what the Nordic nation was thinking, if they kept dating and Norway wouldn't speak to him. "It's all so confusing," he said out loud.

"True. Do you want to get dressed? To go home?" But Norway was understandably drowsy and seemed disinclined to move.

"I think perhaps I'd better. B-but don't trouble yourself," he said, trying to be generous. "If I can get cell reception, I can maybe get Sweden to pick me up at the border."

Norway gave him a long, cool look, before closing his eyes. "Sorry."

"Me too."

"Call me sometime," Norway said sleepily, before rolling over and beginning to snore.

…

_It's really, really difficult to write two blonds together. I realize Norway's probably pretty OOC here._

_I'm trying to make every one of his dates go wrong in a different way, but there are about 23 left to go! This is the main reason I've been taking so long to update – trying to come up with dating disasters. I do have a final plan for him, but would like to stick to my original idea and get through the whole alphabet of nations first. If you have any suggestions for date failure, please let me know._

_Next chapter: since Denmark's unavailable, it's Egypt._


	15. A Wet Date

_I plugged "Egypt Estonia" into the anagram generator to get a goofy suggestion for this chapter. (The anagram is given at the end of the chapter.) _

…

**A Wet Date.**

"Meeting time," he sighed to himself, walking down the stairs in the Swiss hotel. Switzerland had chosen a chalet for this meeting, which was nice, but also, the rooms were small and close together. Everyone could hear everyone else. It had been hard to sleep; Prussia and Denmark were in the room next to the one he shared with Latvia, and they'd been up yelling and talking half the night.

He'd spent a lot of time thinking about Egypt. He'd done his obligatory internet research, asked Latvia and Lithuania whether they knew much about him, and mentally braced himself. The only thing anyone could really remember was that he didn't talk much. Even less than Norway.

Estonia wondered how he and Norway would react to each other this week. Sweden had uncomplainingly picked him up after the hiking date disaster, and Estonia had gone on a little drinking binge at home to blot that out of his mind.

Of course, he thought, walking into the meeting room, he now had something of a history not just with Norway, but with many of the other nations. Even if it was just a history of one date. This was a little unnerving, so he tried not to meet anyone's eye as he filled a coffee cup and took some food items from the buffet. Maybe he was getting a _reputation_. Maybe that's why Norway had been so…pushy.

He found his seat – Switzerland always assigned seats to people, because he didn't like being distracted by whispered conversations during the meeting. The Alpine nation felt that if he controlled the seating, by putting cards out, he could control the meeting. But of course half the people just switched the place cards so they sat near their friends.

Denmark on one side, Poland on the other. He sighed. It could be worse. It could be much worse.

Other nations trickled in, including Egypt, who didn't speak and sat at the table at the far end.

"Hey," Denmark said, punching Estonia fondly in the shoulder. "Heard about your date with Norway."

"Y-y-you _did_? What did you hear?" He wanted to crawl into a hole and die.

"Just that you went hiking with him. Did you have fun? Are you two together now?"

"Kesesese! That would be awesome. Norway's the only Nordic nation without a partner." Prussia swapped his seat card for the one on Denmark's other side and sat down.

"Uh. No, we…didn't quite hit it off…"

"Oh, well. Norge isn't easy to get along with. Not talkative enough. Ah, you'll find somebody," Denmark grinned, ruffling up his hair.

Switzerland, looking grumpier than usual and sporting what appeared to be his new default weapon, the Nerf gun, walked to the head of the room and started the meeting.

…

"Will you have dinner with me?" he blurted to Egypt at the end of the day. He'd managed to avoid meeting the eyes of any of his ex-dates, though it had been difficult. Estonia had simply kept his eyes on his laptop most of the day.

Egypt nodded silently.

"Would you like to try a fondue restaurant?" He was surprised Egypt had said yes. He'd expected a no, a brief few drinks alone in the bar, and some quiet time in the room with his spreadsheet!

Egypt nodded again. "Let me take these things to my room," he whispered.

Aha! So he did speak, once in a while. Estonia had wondered about that. He nodded his agreement. "I'll wait in the lobby."

He moved to the lobby to wait. He had a ton of things to talk about. He'd done a great deal of research, just in case Egypt stayed silent during the meal, so that he would have enough to keep the conversation going.

He put his coat on, idly glancing around at his fellow nations, and someone bundled in an enormous amount of clothing trundled up to him. "Ready," Egypt's voice came from inside the layers and layers of scarf.

"Wow. That's a lot of winter gear! But I guess you don't ever have this kind of weather." Estonia led the way to the hotel's main door.

"Right. I have to stay toasty."

"It is kind of cold, I agree." Though Estonia was only wearing a wool overcoat, no hat, scarf or gloves.

Together they walked through the city, searching for a mutually-acceptable restaurant. In front of a small fondue place Egypt stopped walking and pointed to the menu mounted on the wall.

"Sounds all right to me." Estonia smiled and held the door; his date preceded him into the restaurant.

…

They had a pleasant time over dinner; yes, Egypt was pretty silent, but he communicated in other ways, with smiles, with nods; Estonia never felt like the conversation was flagging, or that his date was losing interest. The two of them drank a great deal of Switzerland's famous Chasselas wine, which was light and not very intoxicating. It went well with the cheese fondue.

They spoke (well, _Estonia_ spoke) of national festivals, climate differences, this week's meeting and other polite talk. Egypt responded, and did make commentary from time to time. Well, Estonia was pretty sure he wouldn't end up _dating_ Egypt, but at least he was having a nice dinner.

He paid the bill and waited patiently for Egypt to re-dress himself in the extra sweater, hat, scarf, coat, mittens and a hood over his hat. "I hope you can stay warm," he laughed, and his date nodded. Estonia himself felt very mellow and toasty, but that was a result of the food and wine.

When they exited the restaurant, the nations discovered that snow had begun to fall. "How lovely," the desert nation breathed. They stood in front of the restaurant admiring the heavy snowfall until another couple came outside.

Estonia now realized his hair was getting wet from the melting flakes. "Come, let's walk back." He felt just slightly tipsy – really nothing to worry about – but he knew he'd need a bathroom soon. And, well, maybe it was selfish of him, but he saw snow fairly frequently, so this wasn't a big deal to him.

But Egypt dawdled as they walked, staring up at the sky and more than once seeming in danger of falling off the edge of the curb. Estonia had to be very vigilant, and held his arm, but progress was slow.

Too slow. He really, really needed a bathroom! And then they rounded a corner and saw a little hillock covered in snow and Estonia began giggling.

Egypt turned to him in surprise. "What?"

"H-have you ever written your name in the snow?" he laughed, pushing his glasses up his nose.

"Written –?" Egypt looked baffled, and rightly so.

Still laughing, the Baltic nation glanced around. No one was nearby, and this would solve his – his _pressing issue_. He unzipped his pants and proceeded to pee on the hillock, trying to write _EESTI VABARIIK with_ the stream of liquid. He almost made it, running out just as he got to the second "i."

"_What?_" Egypt asked, making Estonia laugh even more.

And then, when he was finished, and tucking things away, he snorted audibly when he saw Egypt fumbling with his own zipper, trying to open it with the thick mittens still on his hands. "Do, do you want me to unzip for you?" But that idea was just too ridiculous; he howled.

He couldn't tell if Egypt was mad about that suggestion or not, of course, because the scarf covered so much of his face, but the desert nation removed his gloves and took his member out. He too tried to write something in the snow, but had very bad aim. Estonia kept giggling, and thinking about Arabic handwriting. He wondered whether Egypt would practice writing his name in the sand, at home, and this made him laugh a little louder.

When they were both done, Egypt arranged his winter gear and they stumbled on, not speaking, but both laughing and holding on to each other. Ah, maybe this would work out!

…

Wow. Estonia woke up the next morning with no headache and great memories of that fun walk. Egypt had parted from him in the lobby with a hug (difficult through all the layers of clothing) and a through-the-scarf kiss, promising to sit with the Baltic nation at the meeting tomorrow. That had been so much fun! He knew every male nation in the world did that from time to time, even though half of them would never admit it. (Then he tried to picture Sweden and Finland competing at this, and grinned.) Maybe he and Egypt _could_ have a relationship.

Estonia bounded out of bed, showered and prepared for the meeting, even though Latvia was still in the other bed with his pillow over his head. "See you at the meeting," he called out happily, receiving no response.

Down in the meeting room – which was mostly empty – he sat, doodling on his touchscreen laptop, waiting for Egypt, and when that nation walked into the room, he beamed.

But the desert nation shook his head sadly and went to the back of the room again. This was so distressing that Estonia hopped right up and went to talk to him. "Are you all right? What's wrong? Hangover?"

"Sorry." There was a little pause. "Too embarrassed."

"About what? Oh, that? No problem. Everybody does that when it snows."

Egypt shook his head. "Sorry," he repeated, turning to look out of the windows. "Can't."

As usual, Estonia was not going to push himself forward where he wasn't wanted. He nodded sadly and went back to his seat.

At least he could fix up the spreadsheet. He spent most of the morning working on it, ignoring Switzerland entirely.

…

When he got back to his room, Latvia was getting changed for dinner. "Those flowers came for you," he said, gesturing towards a vase with four white roses.

White roses? In Switzerland, in the winter? That was a pretty extravagant gift. Maybe Egypt had thought twice about his refusal? "I wonder who they're from," Estonia mumbled, reaching for the card.

"The card doesn't say," Latvia blurted out, and then covered his mouth.

"Latvia! You read the card? You nosy little twerp!"

Latvia ran screaming out of the room. "Sorry, sorry, sorry!"

Grr. Sometimes that kid really got on his nerves. He opened the card:

I WOULD LIKE TO SPEND TIME WITH YOU. BUT CANNOT WORK UP MY NERVE. LET ME COME TO YOU IN MY OWN TIME.

Not signed. He doubted, now, that it was Egypt, but couldn't say why he felt this way. And of course there was always the possibility that this was some prank spawned by Prussia and his friends, so he couldn't take it at face value.

But if there were someone –

…

_The anagram was "Toasty Peeing."_

_Next: France! Ohonhonhon…_


	16. A Delicious Date

**A Delicious Date.**

Estonia sighed. He had taken three months off from pursuing dates, for a couple of reasons:

He was discouraged overall.

He had been trying to guess who'd sent the flowers.

He was nervous about asking France, the next nation on the spreadsheet, for a date!

The spreadsheet had a new column: _Flowers._ In this column he put an _N_ for the people he knew, or strongly suspected, were not the flower-giver. There had been three world meetings since the one in Switzerland, and each time, a vase of four white roses had mysteriously appeared in his hotel room. Latvia had apparently learned his lesson, and stopped reading the cards, but there had never really been any clue on them. The same type of message – that the sender was too shy – printed in big block capitals.

He'd ruled out a prank by Prussia and his friends, because the albino was continually broke, and wouldn't waste his money on exotic flowers over and over again. (Estonia briefly considered that maybe he'd bribed Denmark or Romano to buy them, but concluded that this was unlikely.) He'd also ruled out Canada, who – even if he hadn't been cozy and happy with Cyprus now – would probably have just asked him outright. All of his previous dates, as a matter of fact, had acted completely normal around him at meetings. No blushing, no awkwardness. So he'd figured it was someone he hadn't spent time with yet. France would be more bold, America too clueless, Russia more direct…so it probably wasn't one of them.

Well, here it was time for a new meeting – in Washington – and France was next on his list. Yeah, he'd ask. Might as well. He'd ask on Wednesday, instead of torturing himself about it all week and frantically asking on Friday.

…

Monday and Tuesday he spent time, as usual, paying attention to the meeting. He was often quite surprised that America couldn't keep on track better. He knew this irritated the hell out of Germany, and it irritated him too, but he couldn't do anything about it. No matter how hard people tried to keep America focused, it failed, and usually degenerated into a shouting match between him and England, sometimes with France, Romano, Spain and Russia trying to intervene. He sighed.

France looked really nice today. It was now Wednesday and Estonia hoped for a chance to fill in a hole in the spreadsheet. He felt there wouldn't really be a chance of a lasting relationship, because it seemed everyone was always pursuing France. But maybe they could have a little time together. Estonia paid little attention to the meeting today.

When America adjourned for the day, Estonia packed up his gear and headed towards the back of the room. Oh. France and Spain were hugging each other and talking in low tones. Perhaps he shouldn't interrupt? He hadn't considered they might be dating.

But no. "_Mon cher _Estonia," France trilled, drawing away from his southern friend. "Did you wish to speak with me?"

"Yes, but if you're busy – "

"Oh, no, no. _Espagne_, I'll see you later, all right?"

"_Sì, Francia._ Good night." Spain started to leave the room but France grabbed his arm and whispered something into his ear. The dark-haired nation smiled at his old friend and nodded before going away.

"Now, _cher_ Estonia, what can I do for you?"

Estonia blushed. "Will you have dinner with me?"

"_Ohonhonhon!_ Of course I will. Come along! I know just the place. That's one of the benefits of being friends with America. I can always find the best places for things when I'm here." France smiled at him with such a pleasant, gentle smile that Estonia felt cheered, and when he felt the touch of the other's hand, he clasped it eagerly.

…

"I'm happy to be spending time with you," France said, over the appetizers. Was it Estonia's imagination, or did his voice sound deeper and more intimate? "Why did you ask me out?" He kissed his fingertips and caressed the back of Estonia's hand.

"I – simply felt it was time for me to get to know you a little better." Damn! People kept asking him this question and he still hadn't come up with a good response! That would be the first thing on his agenda, once this date was over.

But France was acting so happy and interested that maybe he wouldn't need to worry. Dating the most romantic nation in the world…Estonia sighed happily as France took his hand. "I'm always intrigued by the interest of unfamiliar nations, _mon cher."_ His fingers were very aggressive, squeezing Estonia's!

France ordered their meals with grace and knowledge, which Estonia was glad of, because he was unfamiliar with French restaurants. He was really glad France hadn't wanted to go out for hamburgers!

Then he considered that if – _if_ – he ended up continuing through the spreadsheet, he should try to coordinate the dates with the meetings, so the host nation could take him somewhere local to show off. That would certainly save him a lot of travel time. And he wouldn't have eaten so much Chinese food in Paris…

The meal progressed calmly. France's voice was so alluring. Estonia just wanted to snuggle up to him and feel the warmth of that body –

To take his mind off that, he asked France whether white roses had any particular symbolism for him, keeping his eyes alert for any clue that the bearded nation was the sender.

But no. "No, not particularly. I know the rose is the national flower of _Angleterre._ Why do you ask?"

"England? Oh." Well, it wasn't England. If he sent Estonia white roses, Romano would beat the crap out of him. Both of them. "Pfft. Nothing, really. Just wondering."

"As you wish, _mon cher._" France shifted his chair closer to Estonia. He'd been doing this all evening, so that by now they were almost sitting side by side, rather than at opposite sides of the small round table. The bill came, and he paid it, signing with a flourish, before relaxing again.

Estonia felt mellow and warm. "I'm surprised you were free this evening. Seems like all the nations in the world want to spend time with you."

France beamed at him. "Ah, but I need to be choosy. You have such a reputation of being clinical that I had to take advantage of your offer. I want to see what kind of heart beats beneath that well-ordered surface." His warm hand caressed Estonia's hair lightly, teasingly.

_What kind of heart?_ A wildly-beating one, that was for certain. Estonia felt like a teenage girl, inexperienced and nervous, yet eager and intrigued. He smiled at France, trying to come across as an enigma, to hold the alluring nation's interest.

And he was rewarded when France picked up his hand and kissed each fingertip one by one. "Come along, _mon cher Estonie_," he purred. "Let us go outside and enjoy the spring air."

Estonia gave his best enigmatic smile again, and they left the restaurant.

…

"Washington is such an interesting city," he began, as the two of them walked hand-in-hand down the Mall in the dark.

But France was not interested in Washington; he drew Estonia into the shadows near the Lincoln Memorial. "America does have some interesting trysting places." He raised one hand to cup Estonia's now-flaming face, lowered the other to stroke his buttocks. "Ah, _Estonie_," he murmured, pressing closer, bending his head to kiss the side of Estonia's neck.

Oh, that warm breath, warm mouth – and France's voice was so damn seductive – oh, now he understood why everyone wanted to be with him. This was so much better than Norway's flat attempt at _getting laid_. Estonia smiled, now feeling France's lips on his own, feeling the hand slide around to his front and begin caressing him there. "Too cold," he whispered. "Outside."

"Ah," France murmured, nibbling his earlobe and pressing their bodies together, "do you want to go back to the hotel, _mon beau garçon_?"

Estonia really needed to study more French. "Y-yes, please…"

France took his hand again, after one last kiss, and led the dazed Baltic nation back to the hotel.

…

Estonia felt almost drugged that night, allowing France to tenderly and sweetly seduce him, to teach him lovers' tricks that he'd never known. It was the most passionate night of his existence, and in the wee hours of the morning, when he awoke, languorous and sore, he smiled dreamily and shifted closer to France in the bed.

The other nation didn't awaken, but smiled in his sleep. But Estonia needed to get back to his hotel room and shower before the meeting started. He slipped out of the bed, getting hastily redressed, and left the room, audaciously blowing a kiss to the sleeping nation as he went.

In his own room, Latvia still snored, so he slipped into the bathroom to shower. Even the warm water felt sensuous today, and he was so happy. France understood him so well, and had opened his mind to new sensations and a new way of being. Estonia still felt dreamy and disconnected as he toweled off, dressed in clean clothes, and went into the room to silently work on his spreadsheet.

With a bit of that teenage-girl feeling once more, he put a bright red box around France's name and changed the font. _Ah._ Now he just hoped the mystery rose-giver wouldn't be too offended. Well, if you snooze, you lose, he thought with a suppressed giggle.

He killed a little more time reading about France's national festivals, and so on. Latvia eventually woke up, crabby as usual. When the younger nation was finished dressing, it was time to head downstairs. They left the room together, Latvia grumbling. Estonia didn't care. With a jaunty step, he sailed down the hotel's stairs to the meeting room. He hoped that he and France wouldn't act too goofy in front of the other nations today.

But on the other hand, he felt so good that he didn't really care if they did.

…

As he approached the meeting room, he could hear raised voices inside. Pfft. Probably Prussia, pestering Romano, or something. Grinning, Estonia flung the door open dramatically.

In the corner, a well-groomed France had pinned China to the wall, and had slipped his hand inside the Asian nation's long robe, unmistakably groping his privates. China was alternating between arguing, trying to push the blond away, and kissing him. Estonia froze in the doorway, watching this.

"Hey, Estonia! What are you staring at?" Prussia yelled from the buffet table. "Come get some breakfast!"

But even this loud interruption failed to catch France's attention; he continued to croon and fondle China, who eventually gave in and put his arms around the blond's neck. They began kissing in their corner.

"Estonia!" Prussia yelled again, flinging a bread roll at him; the albino's aim was, as ever, accurate, and it hit the stunned Baltic nation in the head.

"Ow," he said, vaguely, full of disappointment.

Time to change the spreadsheet again.

…

_Next…Greece._


	17. Snoozefest

**Snoozefest.**

"Hey...Estonia…"

"Hi, Greece. How are you? Feeling all right?"

The Mediterranean nation yawned. "Not bad…I was just brushing…one of my cats…" He looked blearily around the house. "Well, she…was around here somewhere…Come in…"

With a sigh, Estonia came into the house. It appeared much more normal now than it had at Greece's Christmas party. Still, there were an overwhelming number of cats around…as always.

Greece had said he'd plan something interesting. Estonia had drunk a lot of coffee on the trip down, so that he'd be awake and energetic. He hoped his enthusiasm could keep the sleepy nation from dropping off. "What have you got planned?" he now asked eagerly, stepping around a pile of sleeping cats.

"I wanted to…take you sailing. The water is so…beautiful in June…Is that…all right with you?" Greece smiled at him absently.

"Sure! Love it! Too cold for sailing at my place most of the time. Do you want to go right now?" Boy, did Estonia feel pumped! He liked sailing and was now quite excited about doing the work on the boat.

"Sure, let's…go…as soon as I find my…shoes…" Greece finally unearthed them from under the kitchen table. "Come along, Estonia."

The Baltic nation eagerly followed. It seemed as though Greece was a little livelier now; he got in the car and drove to the marina, talking pleasantly, without those long snoozy pauses that Estonia was used to.

"I love the summertime," Estonia babbled, during a pause. "I feel so carefree!"

"Me too. But I feel carefree a lot of the time." Greece smiled at him. "And I love to go sailing, so I'm glad you asked me to come here, instead of going to your place."

"No problem at all!"

Greece parked the car. "It's over this way. It's just a tiny little boat, but it's beautiful."

Estonia scanned all the masts of the elegant boats that were waiting to be taken out. "Which one is it? What's its name?"

"Oh, I don't name my boats. I go through them too fast."

"But that's not right! Every boat has to have a name." Estonia's face fell. Seriously? A boat with no name?

"Well, for you, for today, we'll call it the…Cat Boat."

Ugh. Estonia wanted to facepalm, but held onto his temper. "Okay," he said, trying to be nice about it. "The Cat Boat." He could feel his eyes straining to roll back into his head! "Which one is it?"

"Here we go. Right here."

But they had reached the last set of slips and Estonia didn't see any boat. Unless – surely that beat-up old rowboat wasn't Greece's boat?

He felt his heart sink right into his sneakers. It _was_ Greece's boat. The Mediterranean nation was already inside the battered craft, getting the oars ready to go. "Seriously?" Estonia waffled, staring at the derelict boat. "It's not technically a _sailboat._"

"So what? What's wrong? It's a great day for it. I'll row you out and show you some of my famous sights that can only be seen from the water. Step in!"

Estonia stepped in. The boat rocked a bit and he hurriedly sat down on the peeling wood seat. Greece cast off the mooring rope and began to row them out.

"It doesn't leak, does it?"

"Ha ha," Greece laughed calmly. "No. What kind of a date would I be if I took you out in a leaky boat? The Cat Boat does not leak."

"O-okay."

Greece rowed in silence for a little while. "Oh. There's a picnic basket under your seat," he told Estonia. "Pull it out! I brought all kinds of treats."

"I do love unusual treats." The blond pulled the basket out and opened it.

"Give me one of those bottles."

Estonia did so. "What is it?" Of course he couldn't read the Greek writing on the label.

"It's iced cappuccino. I drink it when I have to stay alert."

The Baltic nation was glad of that. If Greece fell asleep in the boat, they'd be marooned! Estonia was already slightly disoriented and couldn't tell which of the many small marinas they'd departed from.

"Have one if you like…" Greece busied himself uncapping the drink.

"No, thanks. I had a lot of espresso on the way here. What else is in the basket?"

"Lots of cookies." The brunet finally got the cap off his drink. "Baklava, stuff like that." He drank. "Ah, that's good."

"Nothing but sweets?" Estonia peered into the basket, as if he could magically make something savory appear.

"I…like sweets." Greece hurriedly drank again, polishing off the drink in about four deep swallows before returning to his rowing.

Estonia shrugged and took some baklava.

As he rowed, Greece told his date about the various sights they could see. "But there's so much more to my land," he concluded dreamily. "You should come back sometime…"

"Oh, I hope so." The sun was so warm. Estonia wanted to get more comfortable. He wasn't quite sure whether he could accomplish that in the tiny Cat Boat. "May I sit on the floor of the boat and lean back against the seat, or will that unbalance us?"

"No, that's…fine."

So Estonia shifted himself until he was comfortably seated on the bottom of the boat, the sun on his face and the light breeze in his hair. His glasses were photochromic; they'd darkened to sunglasses almost immediately when they'd left Greece's house.

"Put the…picnic basket on your lap, so…I can reach it." Greece struggled to grab another bottle of cappuccino.

"Okay." After Estonia had the basket on his lap, he gazed around the harbor and the sea, and began to ask his host questions about the various sites, their history and current status. Greece was a particularly beautiful country, he thought; it was quite easy to see why his date was so laid back and calm. Though he wasn't sure he could deal with all the cats, over and over.

Ah, but he was adaptable. He could get used to them. And really, even though the Cat Boat was so old, it was seaworthy, and fairly comfortable. The sun was nice, and Greece was smiling at him so sweetly. In the back of his mind Estonia remembered some warnings Lithuania had tried to tell him, about Greece being a sex maniac, but really, there was no evidence of that at all.

Briefly he wondered, if that were true, what a date between Greece and France would be like. Ha, the building would probably burn down! "Hah!"

"Hah what?" Greece, who had been in the middle of a tour guide's explanation of the nearest city, gave him a funny look.

"N-nothing. Carry on," he said, blushing, leaning his head back against the seat.

Greece continued to give him the eye, but then picked up the explanation again. As he spoke, Estonia drifted into a little dream world, where he and Greece stayed in the Cat Boat always, floating around the world and learning new things together…

"Why is it so cold?" he wondered, looking around. And it was _dark!_ "Greece? _Greece_!"

"I'm…right here, Estonia." There was a scrape and bump; the Cat Boat rocked a little.

"What's going on? Why is it so cold and dark? And the boat's rocking?" He sat up in a panic. "Are we in trouble?"

"No…but you…fell asleep in the boat. You've been…asleep for three hours…" Greece hopped adroitly out of the boat and tied it up in the slip. "Hand me the…picnic basket…"

Three _hours_? Damn, then his skin was probably horribly sunburned. Oh, and Greece probably wasn't too pleased with their date, either. He handed the basket to his host and scrambled ungracefully out of the Cat Boat and onto the dock. Greece was already several strides ahead of him, and he scurried to catch up.

"S-sorry about that." He tried to recover. "The afternoon was so relaxing! I really enjoyed it."

"Enjoyed…napping, while I told you all about…my beautiful islands? My throat is so sore…" Here, Greece stopped and set the basket down; he pulled out another iced cappuccino and opened it.

"M-may I have one?" Estonia wanted to show willing, and he also thought the caffeine might help him wake up.

"This is the last one…" Greece finished it and tossed the bottle into the recycling bin. "I'm…taking you back to the train station, Estonia. I…need a date who's livelier than me, to…keep me on my…toes." He opened the car door and Estonia slipped in.

But he _was_ energetic! He _was_ lively!

On the other hand, well, he wasn't going to try to keep dating Greece just for form's sake. He hadn't felt that spark of attraction. Maybe this was the best way to continue. "All right," he sighed. "I guess it just didn't work out."

"But you owe me…a tour of your capital, sometime…" Greece gave him a nice, lazy grin.

Estonia smiled. "I can do that. Thanks for the day."

"No problem. Take care of yourself." He pulled up outside the train station; they exchanged a brief, awkward hug, and Estonia got out.

"Bye!" he waved, as energetically as he could.

Greece nodded and drove away.

…

_Next: Hong Kong. I know _nothing_ about Hong Kong except that it used to belong to England. This will take some doing, though it might be time to take JoyHeart's suggestion from a previous chapter's review._


	18. A Clingy Date

_Happy New Year! Or in Estonian, "__Head uut aastat!" (That's what the translator tells me.)_

…

**A Clingy Date.**

Estonia whistled as he headed to the meeting on Monday morning. He'd been wary of asking any more nations for dates, and then one day the complete ridiculousness of his project hit him, and he realized it didn't matter at all. He could have a date! He could avoid dates! It was completely immaterial. His date with Greece had shown him that he could at least make new friends if the romance was unsuccessful. So he whisked into the conference room, humming as he poured himself some coffee, and sat, trying to find Hong Kong in the melee.

Ah, there he was. Near China.

He now wondered about the intricacies of Asian relationships. He knew a lot about inter-European relationships, of course, and with countries like China and Japan, who interacted with the West so much, he knew a little bit, too. But he'd never really thought about how the Asian nations interacted with each other. Well, maybe that would be something for him to learn. If he finished this journey through the alphabet of nations with no satisfaction, maybe he'd start that as a new project. Estonia lived for research.

He managed to catch Hong Kong's eye once or twice. That nation nodded at him with his lips pressed together, but there was such a distance between them that Estonia couldn't really hope to flirt. And if Latvia, who was the meeting host, caught him flirting, he knew the younger nation would burst into tears and derail the entire meeting. Estonia sighed.

At the lunch break he did manage to sneak up on Hong Kong when no one was looking. "Free for dinner tonight?" he asked, having decided to cut to the chase.

Hong Kong glanced around with wide eyes. "D-do you mean _me?"_ He blushed fiercely.

"Yes." Estonia smiled in what he hoped was an attractive way. "I'd like to get to know you better."

"Oh! Yes!" Hong Kong looked like a deer in headlights, but he clearly wanted to go.

"Meet me in the lobby after the meeting's over?"

"Yes, please." The Asian nation managed a very brief smile and blundered awkwardly back to his seat.

…

"D-do you know a good place?" Hong Kong still sounded nervous.

Estonia wondered why. If he was nervous, why agree to the date? And then, really, what was there about Estonia to make anyone nervous? Then he wondered whether China might have said something, but all they'd done together was eat at Chinese restaurants and get a little drunk. Pfft. Hardly anything to be nervous about. "Yes, there's a little place I always go to at Latvia's. I think you'll like it. It's quiet and we can talk."

"I'm glad you asked me. You're so popular; I would never have thought you'd want to ask _me_ for a date."

Estonia? _Popular?_ Before he could ask for clarification, Hong Kong continued. "I've seen you with a lot of nations, even quiet ones like Egypt, but I could never nerve myself up to ask you out."

"Here's the restaurant," Estonia countered, completely nonplussed.

When the waiter brought their drinks, they began to speak generally of each other's national holidays and festivals. Soon it would be time to celebrate Hong Kong's independence from England. "I don't like him," the brunet scowled. "I always used to consider that you were a lot like him, but I know by now that this is only superficial, the hair and eyes, the green uniform. He's so nasty and antisocial that he'd never get a lot of nations interested in him the way that they are with you."

Estonia was a bit taken aback by this. He counted England as a friend, and now began to wonder just how bad England's rule of Hong Kong had been. But he didn't defend his friend, not right now. He could set Hong Kong straight, later, if their relationship developed. If not, it didn't really matter.

He considered confessing his entire date scheme tonight. To explain just why he seemed to be so popular. After dating Norway he'd worried that he was getting a reputation, and Hong Kong's outlook just might have stemmed from something like that. But in the end he held off; other dates had seemed promising and had failed, and he'd hate for the brunet to blab to the world (after a failed date) that Estonia was working his way through a spreadsheet. So he changed the subject. "Do you like white roses?" He'd gotten his standard floral delivery this morning. Estonia was still quite interested in learning who the giver was. Based on Hong Kong's commentary so far, he might have been the one.

"Not much," his date said offhand, shattering that idea. "I like tropical flowers more. Why do you ask?"

"N-no reason." Damn, he still hadn't come up with a reason for that question! "I – I like them? Just wondered whether you did." Estonia hoped that would take care of the topic. "Do you grow tropical flowers at your home?"

Hong Kong launched into a panegyric of tropical flowers while the food came, and he continued singing their praises through the main course and up to dessert. Estonia listened, chin in hand, to the melodious voice, not really paying attention to the plethora of details regarding pollination, climate, and weather. "Mm," he murmured at intervals, nodding, wondering if Hong Kong had a good body under those robes.

Oh, that was distracting. But ever since his date with France he'd been hoping to try out some of those romantic tricks on a date. Maybe that would happen tonight. Since Latvia was the host, Estonia had no roommate…

Here he became aware that the waiter had brought the check and Hong Kong was staring at it, blushing. "Whoops! Sorry," Estonia said unrepentantly, paying it and rising. "Want to walk around the city? It's light enough yet that we could walk for quite a while."

"Of course! Please lead the way."

…

Estonia kept up a patter of conversation as they walked, discussing the city of Riga, the history of the Baltic States, and so on, but his mind was roving. It was unusual to feel himself in control on a date. He let his hand brush Hong Kong's sleeve a few times, but those sleeves were almost as long as China's; holding his date's hand would be difficult.

Or so he thought, until Hong Kong stopped walking, pushed his sleeve up, and shyly took Estonia's hand. "That's what you wanted, isn't it?" He beamed happily at his blond date. "Me too."

So they walked around a little more, but the warmth of Hong Kong's hand – not to mention his boldness in that action – had sent Estonia's thoughts down the physical path again. "It's getting late. Do you want to go back to the hotel?"

Hong Kong stopped walking again and turned to face Estonia, dropping his hand and resting his palms on the Baltic nation's chest. "Yes, please," he said, very quietly, with no real expression at all. "I have no roommate."

Whoa! Estonia blinked but returned a smile. "Neither do I!" The two of them jumped into a taxi, the quicker to get back to the hotel.

…

In the morning Estonia awoke in his room alone, but there was an origami lotus on the other pillow, made from a page of the room service menu. He smiled at it, picked it up and stroked its paper petals a few times. Wow. Hong Kong might just be the one. Sexy, romantic, and intelligent? Estonia couldn't believe his good luck.

As he showered, though, he realized it wasn't really luck. It was all due to his hard work and determination with the spreadsheet. He dried off and dressed, updating it, and went downstairs for breakfast and the meeting.

Hong Kong had switched seats and was right next to his chair. Estonia smiled and sat, taking his hand under the table and squeezing it.

"I don't like to flirt at meetings," the Asian whispered, "though today I really feel like flirting!"

"That's fine. It's nice to have you sitting next to me."

Latvia called the meeting to order; they paid attention.

…

When they came back from a polite and interesting lunch date, Hong Kong excused himself to the men's room, but Estonia went back to sit at his chair. There was a giant vase of big white roses at Estonia's seat! This was odd. Maybe the mystery giver had panicked, seeing him having fun with Hong Kong?

But when he pulled out the card and read it, his face fell, just a little. _Hong Kong_ had sent these roses. Well, he supposed his conversation had led his new boyfriend to think that way. He wondered what to do with them. What if the mystery nation thought he was being sarcastic, taunting him or her?

Nobody was watching. He pocketed the card and hurriedly put the vase on the floor at his feet.

Hong Kong came back in. "Wasn't there anything on the table?"

"Y-yes. Thank you for the roses. But – "

"Didn't you like them?" his date asked him earnestly. "I thought you liked white roses!"

"Hush!" Estonia flapped his hand to get Hong Kong to calm down. "They're fine," he whispered. "I just – I don't want other nations getting embarrassed, when they see me getting roses? Making them jealous?" Would that explanation suffice?

"Oh! Oh, yes, I understand completely. From now on I'll have them sent to your room."

"Really, there is no need. I liked your origami lotus better than the roses." He smiled. He had! Hong Kong had taken the time to – well, to deface a hotel menu, it's true, but to construct a handcrafted tropical flower for him. "I've put it in my suitcase to take home."

They began to giggle together a little, before Latvia's shrill voice began tearfully begging everyone to settle down.

…

After that evening's dinner, Hong Kong pleaded a headache. Wanting to show his support, Estonia took him back to his room and brewed him some tea, sitting on the bed and stroking his forehead, telling him little nursery tales from his country. Hong Kong smiled weakly, hugging his hand, and sipped the tea as best he could. "You're so good to me, even when I let you down," he whispered.

"Don't worry about that. You just get better, all right? Then we can spend more time together. Would you like me to go?"

"I'd like to sleep. I don't want to chase you away, but…"

"I understand." Estonia bent down and kissed Hong Kong's forehead gently, feeling the warm hands on his cheeks. "Rest up. I'll see you in the morning."

"Good night, Estonia."

He switched off the lights and went back to his room. Well, a little down time wouldn't go amiss. He brewed himself some tea too, imagining himself in harmony with his new lover, and sat with his laptop to browse important sites.

When he glanced up the vase of roses from Hong Kong caught his eye, and he pulled the card out of his pocket. He could tell this was not the same handwriting as the usual donor's. Both were printed in block capitals, but Hong Kong's writing was much more confident than the other nation's. He pulled out the card from that first vase and compared them.

Well, of course Hong Kong would print in block capitals. The Asian nations didn't use the Western alphabet, and they probably learned it from textbooks. Though having been under England's control for so long, he had probably developed this bolder way of writing.

Estonia shrugged and put both cards into his suitcase, returning to work on the laptop.

It was probably an hour later that the implications hit him. _Whoever usually sent him roses did not use the Western alphabet, either._ Wow. It was like a clue! Estonia immediately stopped reading about Hong Kong Disneyland and thought about this.

He could rule out an entire _bunch_ of nations, this way! Hurriedly he pulled up the spreadsheet.

Estonia tried to be logical about this, but his heart was actually pounding. He knew he could rule out all the nations who were currently in relationships (unless one of them was a real two-timing bastard), and all the nations he'd already dated. So who was left?

India  
Japan  
Macau  
Russia (he shuddered)  
South Korea  
Taiwan  
Thailand  
Turkey - ?  
Ukraine  
Vietnam - ?

He couldn't really be certain about Turkey and Vietnam. His online research with translators seemed to show they used a mostly-Western alphabet with some strange diacritic marks. He'd have to be observant.

But now he could work on eliminating some of them by psychology. Every card he'd received had talked about the sender being too shy to speak up. That definitely eliminated Russia, who would just reach out and grab Estonia by the throat if he wanted him. He could probably cross off South Korea and Turkey, too. Estonia couldn't make a psychology judgment call on any of the other nations, but suspected (although she was shy) that it was not Ukraine, either. They knew each other fairly well, and she'd never shown any kind of interest in him beyond simple politeness.

So, of the remaining nations – India, Japan, Macau, Taiwan, and Thailand – could he narrow it down?

Estonia stayed up until three in the morning, tea getting cold, frenetically researching all these countries. In the end he only gave up because his head was beginning to spin. As he collapsed in the bed, his last thought was of the mystery rose-giver.

…

In the morning this obsession woke him early and gave him extra energy. He showered, dressed, and practically ran down to the meeting, coming to a complete embarrassed halt when he saw the beaming Hong Kong sitting next to his chair. Whoops. He'd forgotten all about him! Face burning, he went to get coffee first, to buy some time, and then sat, feeling a little more in control and forcing a smile. "Are you feeling better?"

Hong Kong smiled back and squeezed his hand under the table. "Oh, yes. Dinner tonight? And will you let me take you to a movie or a show?"

Estonia needed to get his head back in the game. He pinched his thigh to force himself to focus. "Yes, please. That would be lovely."

Of course he spent the rest of the day staring at India, Japan, Macau, Taiwan and Thailand, none of whom seemed very interested in him at all.

…

"What a lovely night!" Hong Kong took his hands and they spun around a little in the market square, laughing. Yes, Estonia was silly to worry about the mystery rose person. He had a perfectly good date right here with him now. Laughing some more, he wrapped his arms around the Asian nation and held him close. "I'm happy to be with you," he whispered, and felt Hong Kong kiss his ear.

"Let's go back to the hotel." The breath was warm on his ear, promising some more of those exotic Eastern tricks that they'd shared on Monday night; Estonia felt as if he were melting. He nodded and the two of them ran back as fast as they could.

…

He awoke in Hong Kong's bed in the dead of night from a nightmare of white roses, and slipped back to his room. Maybe all this interest in finding that person meant that he wasn't really happy with Hong Kong. Estonia couldn't sleep, so he lay awake on the bed and tried to sort all this out.

Was there any real reason to be _unhappy_ with his new date?

No. Not yet. Not unless he counted how far apart their homes were, how annoying it would be to travel back and forth to Hong Kong on a regular basis.

But then, all of those possible rose-givers were far from him as well. So he shouldn't ditch Hong Kong just on that basis.

"No!" he yelled. Why was he considering ditching Hong Kong? They kept having fun together; the sex was great, the dates were great, Hong Kong was intelligent and fun. There was no reason at all to break up with him. None.

Frustrated, he gnashed his teeth and rolled over again, hoping to snatch at least a few hours of sleep.

…

The next morning was Thursday and Estonia felt as if someone had stuffed his head with hot, oily cotton. Just before he left the room, a bellboy brought him a vase of lotus flowers; he grimaced, but thanked the man, and put the vase on the dresser. The card was blunt: lots of red X's and O's. He supposed this was another habit Hong Kong had picked up from England.

With a frustrated sigh he headed downstairs.

Hong Kong wasn't there yet. He got coffee and sat, resting his head in his arms on the table. "You okay, bastard?" Romano asked, passing by.

"Huh. Yeah. Just tired."

"Kesesese! We know how that can be!"

Ugh. It was much too early for Prussia's exuberance. Estonia kept his head down and prayed they'd go away.

Some time later he felt a touch on his thigh and shocked himself awake; the meeting had started, and Hong Kong was cuddled up to him, drawing little smiley faces on his note pad. One smiley face had glasses, the other dark hair; they were together inside a big heart. Latvia was droning on about something. Estonia smiled very weakly at Hong Kong, who ripped the page out of his note pad with a loud tearing sound, catching everyone's attention.

Estonia wanted to sink into the floor. He was exhausted, and frustrated about these damn roses, and Hong Kong was trying to flirt with him and making him feel embarrassed. He flashed a quick, halfhearted smile before putting his head back down on the table and falling asleep again.

…

"Dinner?"

"Oh, Hong Kong, I am so tired. Can we just stay in my room tonight? That way if I fall asleep it won't be a lot of trouble."

"But you slept all through the meeting!"

"Yes, but I'm still very tired. I haven't been sleeping well lately." Hah. "If you don't want to come to my room, that's understandable. I don't mind."

"I'll tell you what. I'll go get us some takeout and bring it to your room. Then we don't have to get room service." They headed to the Baltic nation's room.

"Thanks. That's very nice of you."

"Maybe I'll bring you a little treat, too! Give me your key card. Then when I get back, if you're sleeping, I won't have to wake you."

Estonia nodded and handed over his card after unlocking the door. "See you in a little bit."

"Rest up!"

…

Someone knocked on the door, awakening the blond. Damn. Why wasn't Hong Kong using the key card? He swam up out of a fug of sleep and stumbled to the door, yanking it open with a scowl.

A bellboy stood there with a cart containing a heart-shaped box of chocolates and some champagne in an ice bucket. "What the hell's this?" Estonia asked, grumpy. This looked like something France would have ordered. Couldn't the damn bellboy get the right room?

"The gentleman in room 414 ordered it for you."

Four-fourteen? That was Hong Kong's room. What was he thinking? Maybe he hoped Estonia would be more awake later, wanting treats? The bellboy pushed the cart past and set the items on the small table. He left without waiting for a tip.

Huh. Well, there was ice in the bucket. It'd keep. He went back to the bed and fell asleep.

…

Someone knocked on the door. Damn! Maybe he _would_ break up with Hong Kong! Didn't he understand that Estonia just wanted to sleep?

When he yanked it open a floral delivery girl stood there with a big vase of bright red roses. "For you, sir."

"Thanks," he muttered, yawning, and took the vase. She left with a wave.

Huh. Also from Hong Kong. He pitched the card in the vague direction of his briefcase and was about to fall back onto the bed when he had an idea. "PLEASE DO NOT DISTURB!" he wrote on a paper. "LEAVE ALL DELIVERIES OUTSIDE THE ROOM." He stuck it to the door with some blue-tack he kept for emergencies. Of course he'd had the hotel's "Do not Disturb" sign on the doorknob all night, but obviously these Latvians couldn't take a hint. Then he jumped onto the bed.

And found that he now could not sleep. "Argh!" Now he was awake and hungry; it had been three hours since the meeting had ended, and Hong Kong wasn't back with the food yet! Oh, Estonia was getting angry. He rang Hong Kong's room, but there was no answer.

Estonia paced around his room and picked up the card from the red roses. Just a big heart with the same sketch of Hong Kong and Estonia on it. Hah.

An hour later he was blazing mad and decided to go down and eat in the hotel restaurant. He barged down the stairs, passing Switzerland on the way with a halfhearted smile.

The restaurant was full, though not many of his fellow nations were there. He sat in a corner and ate almost violently, slopping food on the table and gulping down beer. (Tea would have been more prudent, but he was angry and thought the beer would help him calm down.) In the corner he could see America and Japan cozying up to each other; hah, well, that was on again, was it? He'd mark Japan off the list – _again_ – when he got back to his room.

Eventually Estonia was full, though still angry. He ran back up to his room and then remembered that Hong Kong had the damn key card! So he ran down to 414, but nobody answered. "Damn, damn, damn!"

"What's the matter?" Switzerland was on the move again, Nerf gun holstered at his hip.

"Hong Kong has my key card, and I don't know where he is."

The Alpine nation gave him a very funny look. "Why does he have your key card?"

"Because I was going to sleep and I didn't want him to disturb me when he came back to my room!" Estonia snapped, secure that a Nerf gun couldn't hurt him.

"You're an idiot. Did you think maybe he's in your room right now?" Switzerland laughed a little and ran down the stairs.

Oh. Right. More sedately Estonia went back to his room and knocked.

A tearful Hong Kong opened it. "Oh! Estonia! Where did you go?" He began crying.

Estonia was taken aback. "Y-you didn't come back, and I was really hungry! I went down to the hotel restaurant." He now noticed the smell of _putra_ in the room and felt like he was going to be sick. Hong Kong was still crying, and Estonia was crabby, confused, and fed up. He stomped over to his bed and flopped onto it. "Well? Are you coming over? Where did you go?"

Hong Kong weakly shuffled over and sat on the edge of the bed. "I went out shopping for goodies to make you feel better! I sent you the red roses, and the champagne and chocolate, and – and here, I brought you a nice lavender pillow to sleep with; it is supposed to be soothing." He pointed to it on the bed and tried to dry his eyes. "I'm sorry! I thought you'd be asleep a little longer. That's why I left the food until last."

"Well, I _would have been_," he snarled, "except that bellboys and florist people kept waking me up with deliveries!"

"O-oh. I'm sorry. I hadn't considered that." Hong Kong looked at him soulfully. "Are you all right now? Rested, full?"

"Yes, I'm fine." Still very grumpy, though. That must be obvious even to Hong Kong.

The Asian nation leaned over and hugged him. "I really am sorry."

"That's all right," he managed. "But I'm not really in a very social mood anymore. How about if we spend tonight apart; I'll get a good night's sleep, and we can start off better tomorrow?" He took Hong Kong's hand to reassure him.

"All right. If that is what you prefer. I'm happy to accommodate you." The brunet stood up.

"Take the food and champagne with you. Save them for tomorrow, or eat them, whatever. I'll pay you back for them. Okay?" Estonia gathered them up and handed them to Hong Kong, who nodded and moved to the door.

"Good night," he whispered to Estonia, who leaned forward for a kiss.

"Good night, Hong Kong."

…

In the morning all Estonia wanted was for this horrible tense week to go away. He wanted to go home and sleep for a week and then wake up and figure out what to do with his life.

"Will you come see me this weekend?" Hong Kong whispered to him, rubbing his back.

Dear Lord. The idea of traveling all that way, after this hideous week, was infuriating. "Not this weekend. I have a lot of nation work I need to get back to," he lied. "Maybe next weekend."

"I could come stay at your place? I wouldn't be much trouble. Then when you wanted a break from your work I'd be right there for you! I'd love to see your home."

Estonia smiled weakly. "I'd love to show it to you. But I'm afraid I wouldn't be very good company. Let's just put it off until later. We can email or have a video chat during the week, if you like."

Hong Kong's eyes lit up. "Yes, please." He patted Estonia one more time before the meeting began.

Estonia took some deep breaths. Relationships were really hard work!

…

_This chapter is getting out of hand, and I've had so many more ideas for Hong Kong. So the next chapter will be Part II of Hong Kong; there might be a third chapter about him, too. Very big thanks to JoyHeart for the idea of a clingy date!_


	19. Their First Weekend

**Their First Weekend.**

Estonia was only in a _moderately_ annoyed mood this Friday.

It was true that he hadn't had much nation work this week, but had lied about that to Hong Kong to get some time alone to think. Over the past week he'd been bombarded with emails, some cute, some intellectual, and some downright naughty…they'd been fun, but he must have received two hundred emails from his new boyfriend! He'd tried to give a hint by only replying to every twentieth email or so, but Hong Kong just kept pelting him with them.

He'd also received a delivery of lotus flowers each evening. _And_ a box of chocolates on Wednesday, and some text messages here and there. Why, oh why, was Hong Kong being so attentive to him? Maybe the Asian was simply mocking him? It would be an awfully expensive process, for a prank like that.

And so, to stop all this romantic effluence, he'd agreed to go to Hong Kong's place this weekend for a visit. It wasn't really fair to ask the Asian nation to hop all the way back to Europe after that week-long meeting in Latvia. He really had wanted to go for the independence-from-England celebrations, but that wasn't for a few more weeks. A few more weeks of this bombardment and he'd completely lose it. So Estonia was on the plane, fighting to relax, and losing the battle.

But he was definitely going to make it clear to Hong Kong that all this gift-giving and attention had to stop.

…

"Yes, you look great, Hong Kong."

…

"Yes, let's tour your downtown area."

…

"I'm quite happy to be with you!"

…

"Of course we can have a romantic dinner."

…

"Yes, Hong Kong," sigh, "I do enjoy the lotus flowers you send! But you should save your money." The two of them wandered hand-in-hand around the bustling Central district after the romantic dinner.

"But I want you to think of me when I'm not there."

"I do! Believe me, I could stand a little neglect, at this point," Estonia almost snapped.

But Hong Kong's face fell. "Wh-what? You want me to neglect you?"

"Oh, I – I didn't mean it that way." Though he had. Estonia was beginning to feel suffocated by all this attention. "I'm just not used to all this. That's all." He squeezed Hong Kong's hand firmly. "I think it's the newness of it all. Once we settle into our relationship and don't feel we need to shower each other with reminders, it should be fine."

"B-but I'm always like this," Hong Kong said. "Ask Korea. When we were dating I gave him stuff all the time. It's just the way I am!"

"You dated Korea? Was he shy?" Estonia blurted out, thinking of his list of possible rose-givers.

"What? Yeah, I dated Korea. I've dated all the Asian nations, except China. And I went out with Australia a couple of times, but that didn't work out so well. What does that have to do with anything? You're no virgin, I know." Hong Kong now seemed irritable. "I mean, just this year alone you've gone out with half the nations in the world, it seems."

"It does seem that way, doesn't it," Estonia mused, still thinking of his mystery list.

"Is this some kind of – of _test_ for you?" Hong Kong then asked him suspiciously. "See if you can get every nation to go out with you before the year is up?"

"Hmm? Oh, no." Estonia finally snapped back to reality and knew he'd need to do a little damage control. "I'm sorry. No, I'm very happy to have found someone compatible! You're fun, and sexy, and intelligent." He leaned over and hugged the Asian. "I'm quite content to be with you."

And he was. Or at least he would be, without all the gifts and smotherings of attention.

Hong Kong relaxed in his arms. "You're all those things, too," he whispered. "I'm glad I said yes, when you asked me."

They kissed, standing on the sidewalk. "Come on. Let's go back to my place."

"Yes! Let's go back to your place."

…

The rest of Saturday passed in a pleasant haze; since Estonia was right there with him, Hong Kong didn't need to be quite so dramatic with the attention. They played checkers together, laughing; sampled a bit of the local cuisine. Later, Hong Kong prepared a bath scented with jasmine, with flower petals floating on the water, and they bathed each other by candlelight. "You've got some marvelous ideas," Estonia told him, holding the slippery body in his arms.

"I've been doing research, trying to come up with new ideas to impress you." Hong Kong tweaked his ear with a wet hand.

"You don't need to impress me! I already told you that. I'm impressed with you just the way you are."

"Listen, Estonia. All this – this _is_ 'just the way I am.' I love to shower my partners with affection. If you really care for me, you'd deal with it."

"But you don't need to do it all. That's what I'm saying."

Hong Kong drew back and scowled. "So…you…aren't prepared to accept me as I am?"

This was a ridiculous discussion to have while they were naked in the tub. "Let's get out and dry off, if we're going to keep talking about this."

"What's there to talk about?" But Hong Kong stood up and reached for the towels. "Either you accept me or you don't."

"I accept you!" Estonia practically yelled, yanking the towel out of his hands and flinging it around himself.

"Obviously you don't." Hong Kong's voice was dry. "Make up your mind."

Estonia fumbled for his glasses. Ah, that was better. Funny how he always felt more in control when he was wearing them. "You can't be serious."

"I am serious! Get out of my bathroom and go make up your mind."

"I don't need to leave the bathroom to make up my mind! If you can't dial back the attention, then I think we should break up." _What?_ Had he actually said that? After all these months of searching, after all the new fun he and Hong Kong had had –

But it _was_ true. If this was really how Hong Kong liked to be – _all the time_ – Estonia would be in a mental asylum by the end of the year.

Here he noticed a trail of wet footprints leading out of the bathroom. Hah. Well, he scrambled into his clothing, which stuck to him a little from the moisture, and hurried out of the bathroom, following the trail.

The host was in his bedroom, now wrapped in an elegant embroidered silk robe, facing away from the door with his head in his hands. Estonia padded carefully over to the bed, reaching out to his shoulder. "Hong Kong?"

The Asian nation spun and flung his arms around Estonia's middle, pushing his tearstained face into the Baltic nation's shirt. "Oh, Estonia! Don't break up with me, don't, don't, please don't! I love you!"

Estonia's hand froze in the act of stroking the dark hair. _Love_? "Uh. I – oh, Hong Kong," he groaned, sinking down onto the mattress, hugging him to buy some time. "I – " But he fell silent again. How could he coherently respond to that? Love? After ten days?

Well. It was entirely possible that people fell in love in ten days. But Estonia didn't truly think he was the type of nation to inspire that level of passion, of intensity, in anyone. And yet clearly Hong Kong felt something strong between them. He hugged the brunet close, mostly to allow himself to calm down from this. What could he do?

"Oh, oh," Hong Kong wailed, and Estonia could feel the tears soaking his clothing. Or was that bath water? He couldn't tell, and at this point he didn't care. He didn't want to hurt his date's feelings, but he desperately wished that he were at home, alone, where he could calm down and think.

"Hey," he said gently, trying to turn the Asian's face to his. Hong Kong looked up, his lip wobbling, and Estonia couldn't help himself; he bent down for a kiss. Hong Kong's lips eagerly fastened onto his own, coating them with the tears on his face, and Estonia felt like total shit!

But why? He was being perfectly reasonable. Still. He continued kissing for a moment, before it became evident that his date was trying to push forward into lovemaking. "No," Estonia said, gently pushing him away. "I'm – I'm not ready. I'm too emotionally torn up."

"D-don't you love me?"

Estonia took a deep breath. He was going to be honest. "I don't know yet. I'm trying to be open to it, but I couldn't say 'I love you' and be certain I meant it." That was true. "I think we need to slow down a little."

But Hong Kong had drawn back coldly. "If you can't say it now, then you probably will never be able to say it." He dashed the tears from his face with the back of his hand. "I think you should go. It's probably better than trying to force this."

Estonia's head was awhirl, but he seized on the excuse. "You're right, of course. I'll just get my things?" When Hong Kong made no move to rise, Estonia slipped out of the bedroom into the adjoining spare room, where he'd deposited his suitcase, and threw all his belongings into it.

When it was full he latched it shut and went back to the bedroom, but his host was nowhere in sight. Descending to the kitchen, he peered all around and didn't see him. "Hong Kong?" he called out, receiving no reply.

Estonia decided to leave a note. Perhaps the Asian was too distraught to see him out. He wrote a quick note in his careful cursive script, hoping Hong Kong would stay well. Then he phoned a taxi service and made his escape.

…

_This is not yet the end of Hong Kong. But I will combine the "Hong Kong conclusion" with the next date, which is…Hungary!_


	20. A Very Disconcerting Date!

**A Very Disconcerting Date!**

For these two days, a short European meeting was taking place. Estonia had completely detoxed from his Hong Kong debacle. Hong Kong had sent him a few presents, but hadn't emailed or phoned. Estonia had been able to ignore all that and was planning to rest up and not ask anyone for a date, for a little while. Hungary was next on the list, and he kept smiling at her during the meeting, but he was not yet ready to ask her out.

Though she was so cute. He lost track of the meeting while trying to decide whether Hungary or Belgium was cuter. Or maybe Liechtenstein.

In any case, lunchtime rolled around before he could reach a definitive conclusion. He stood to leave the room and found Hungary beside him, beaming. "Hey, Estonia! You're mighty flirty today. Want to go have dinner with me tonight?"

Well! He certainly wasn't going to say no. She'd saved him the bother of asking. "Sure," he smiled, with a shrug. "Love to."

She squealed – she actually _squealed,_ which terrified him – and clasped her hands together. "Oh, good. I've got so many things I need to talk to you about! I'll see you after the meeting!" She ran out of the room, leaving him standing at the table, perplexed, but calming down.

He went to his room over the lunch break, instead of heading to the hotel restaurant. He'd gone a little overboard on breakfast pastries here in Denmark and didn't really feel the need for a big lunch. He'd do a little spreadsheet work.

Estonia stopped short in the hotel room when he saw the customary vase of white roses. He was so stunned that he simply plopped down on the bed, staring at them.

This threw all his analysis into doubt. All those nations he'd had on the short list: India, Japan, Macau, Taiwan and Thailand! None of them were at this meeting; this was a meeting of European nations only. So…damn.

He sat back on the bed with his laptop, his mind awhirl. He read over his notes. What were the key points he'd considered?

_Someone who doesn't use the Western alphabet.  
Someone shy.  
Someone he hadn't gone out with yet._

"Well," he said to himself, before feeling silly. He cleared his throat. It could still be one of those five nations. They could be very, very attentive to his schedule. But then that bordered on the creepy. Almost like a stalker.

It could be someone who did use the Western alphabet, who was printing those rudimentary block capitals to throw him off the scent. Possible.

He really didn't think a bold person would be masquerading as a shy one. What would the mystery nation gain? If a bold nation wanted him, a bold nation would speak up. Like Hungary had.

He daydreamed a little. Estonia would feel so proud with such a beauty on his arm. A beauty that even the elegant Austria couldn't hold onto! Hah.

But back to the spreadsheet. What if it was someone he'd already dated? Could that possibly be true?

Maybe it was Cyprus. He'd turned Estonia down to go out with Canada; maybe that had fallen through. He wondered how it was going. Of course Canada was not at this meeting. He didn't remember seeing Cyprus here, either, but then, he hadn't been looking.

But Cyprus used the Greek alphabet. So that was possible. Hmm.

Damn! It was time to get back to the meeting. He pocketed the card from the roses and hurried back to the smallish conference room.

…

During the afternoon session Hungary seemed to be bubbling over with secret glee. Estonia felt nervous. What if she was expecting him to be some kind of Casanova? He wasn't like that! Or maybe she thought he'd be like Austria, elegant and suave. Of course he always _tried_ to be polite and elegant, but sometimes that just didn't work out. He'd bet even Austria had bad days.

By now Estonia simply hoped she wouldn't bring the frying pan to dinner.

Denmark ended the afternoon meeting and his friends hurried to join him at the head of the room. Estonia, more leisurely, packed up his gear and walked over to Hungary. "Shall we meet in the lobby in half an hour?"

"Ooh, yes. That will give me plenty of time to get my things." She smiled, tossing her hair over her shoulder, and they left the room together.

…

Hungary skipped down the stairs into the lobby, where Estonia was already waiting. "Do you know a good, quiet restaurant?" she asked breathlessly, grinning and taking his arm.

"Oh, yes. I'm quite familiar with Copenhagen." They walked out of the hotel. Estonia tried not to concentrate too much on Hungary's overeager nature, and to just go with the flow.

"I thought you might be," she said. "I know he's with Prussia now, but have you ever dated Denmark?"

"Oh, no. He was always with Norway, before he was with Prussia. Besides, the Nordic nations are always a little bit, ah, derisive of me."

"Yes, I'd heard you wanted to be a Nordic nation, but can't manage to do so."

He smiled at her. "It's not so bad this way."

They reached the tiny, secluded restaurant and got seated. A little glass vase with a single daisy sat on the table, and Estonia, who'd been very much more in a flower mentality recently, smiled at it.

He wondered what kind of things Hungary wanted to ask him about.

As soon as the waiter left with their orders, she asked, "You're not dating Hong Kong anymore? You two looked so cute together at that meeting."

Estonia blushed and ground his teeth together before recovering his composure. "No. We – didn't see eye-to-eye on a lot of things." Hah, that was an understatement. He was glad Hong Kong wasn't attending this week's meeting. Wasn't ready to see him again yet. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason," she said airily, flapping a hand and gazing around the restaurant. "Just wondering."

"Why did you ask me to dinner? Just because I was flirting with you?" He smiled at her – yes, flirting – and she beamed.

"It seems like you've had a really busy social life this year. I was just wondering which nations you'd enjoyed spending time with, the most."

"Really? Well, I'd like it to be you," he blushed, taking her hand.

"Oh." She seemed a little taken aback. "But please answer my question?"

That was a strange response. He'd expected _some_ flirting.

Before he could answer, she burst out with "France? Did you go out with France?"

Oh, he knew she disliked France. She was always trying to hit that nation with the frying pan, which he now realized wasn't with them tonight. Good. "Yes, I did." He reddened as he remembered their one night together, hot and delicious. He wondered whether he'd get to use some of those tactics with Hungary.

But she was scowling. "France is a pig. Stay away from him. Him, and that idiot Romania. And you might as well avoid Bulgaria, too; he's too friendly with Romania to be worthwhile."

Estonia sank into a sad little reverie, thinking of Bulgaria, but Hungary kept speaking feverishly. "You should go out with _China!_ China is beautiful. I bet you and China – " She interrupted herself with a fierce blush.

"I did go out with China a few times." Estonia was completely confused by this conversation, but he felt himself too gentlemanly to change the topic. "But all he wanted to do was eat at Chinese restaurants."

"Oh, that's no good. How about Norway? Ooh, yes, Norway," she repeated, with a tiny little smile. "I bet you and Norway would be really hot together."

Eh? "I…went out with Norway," he admitted. He certainly wouldn't tell her what Norway had wanted to do on their date!

"How was it? Was he really sexy? I bet he was. He seems so quiet but I just bet he's an inferno in bed. I can just picture the two of you, together by firelight…" She gazed into the distance, a dreamy smile on her face, fidgeting in the chair a little. "Japan and I were just talking about that the other day. He was very excited when I called him today to tell him we were having dinner together. I have to call him later and report back."

Estonia was losing patience, and also feeling kind of bizarre about all this. "Hungary, what the hell are you _talking about_? What does Japan have to do with our date? Why are you asking me about all my other dates?"

"I love to see nations dating." She was still vague, still staring across the restaurant. Estonia even turned to look, but there was nothing there worth looking at. "Do you have any pictures? Of you with Norway? Or, well, even with France, I guess." She wrinkled her nose, looking back at him.

"Pictures? No. I have a picture of me with Hong Kong somewhere, but I don't know what I did with it."

"Estonia, you really have to step up to the plate! If you're going to date all these boys, I need to know about it!"

"Eh?" This time he spoke out loud. "I still don't understand what you're driving at."

"Estonia," she hissed, shaking him by the arm. "I want to see pictures of you with your boyfriends! Cute, cuddly pictures, or even sexy pictures. Come on! Don't deny Japan and me this simple pleasure."

"What does Japan have to do with anything?" he asked again. He was well and truly baffled.

Hungary huffed. "Oh, never mind. Let's just eat." She spent the next ten minutes attacking her food; Estonia spent the next ten minutes thinking about the idea of sexy pictures of himself with his dates. What did she plan to do with the pictures? Blackmail? He groaned, but she didn't seem to hear him. The way his social life had been going, he'd just bet that's what she was angling for.

He'd lost his appetite. Estonia motioned the waiter over and paid the bill while Hungary was still eating. This was maybe the weirdest date he'd been on, during his quest.

When she'd finished, she smiled at him and they rose to leave. "Now, listen," she repeated. "I want some pictures! I bought you a camera so you can email me the pictures right away when you have them." She handed him a small digital camera. "Or – or videos," she said in a trembling voice. "If – if you could make videos – " Her breath caught and she stopped speaking for a moment. Estonia watched in disbelief as she clasped her hands in front of her again. "Japan would just _die_," she laughed in a faraway voice.

Argh. He still had no idea what was going on here. His best bet was to get back to the hotel, be alone, and try to put this entire date right out of his head. Maybe some research would help.

He made one more effort. "Hungary. Why do you want pictures of me?"

"Not just you," she scoffed. "You with your boyfriends. And, really, I don't just want pictures of _you _and your boyfriends. Any nations with boyfriends. Any male nations with boyfriends." She patted him on the arm with a gleeful grin.

_Oh!_ She was one of those? "Y-you mean like – like – " But he couldn't say it.

"Boys' love," she said happily, now apparently lost in a dream world. "Japan calls it 'yaoi.' He likes it too. We have a little club, just him and me, where we talk about it and share pictures. Sometimes we let Liechtenstein join us, but she's been dating Iceland, so that's kind of boring and not compliant with our club's aims."

Estonia's skin was crawling. Yes, he'd happily dated male nations, and he suspected he'd do so again, but this was creepy! "Let's get back to the hotel," he snapped, dragging her along. He'd have to make sure she – and Japan – weren't lurking, when he went on future dates.

In the lobby she pecked a kiss on his cheek. "Thanks for dinner! Don't forget to use that camera!" She floated dreamily up the stairs, one hand trailing on the brass banister, as Estonia stood riveted to the floor with the camera dangling from his hand.

…

In his room, a vase of lotus flowers, with a loving card from Hong Kong, begging him to come back. Estonia crumpled the card and pitched it into the trash can.

He missed the next day's meeting, being severely hung over, because he'd drunk himself silly trying to forget that date.

...

_Next: India._


	21. A Mischievous Date

**A Mischievous Date.**

Estonia had started receiving paper letters this week. All from Hong Kong, beautifully written in a calligraphic style, on handmade paper, loving poetic letters tainted with a guilt trip. He didn't know what to do, so he did nothing, placing them neatly into a drawer of his filing cabinet. One more had arrived this morning, with a pressed lotus flower between the pages. He sighed. Maybe he should get back together with the Asian?

But today he was heading to India's place. He put all the thoughts of Hong Kong out of his head, for now, and left for the airport.

…

"Estonia! Come in." India held the door of his home open wide, and the enchanted Baltic nation entered. The home was strikingly decorated with color and pattern everywhere, almost overwhelming in its intensity. "Nice to see you."

"Hi," Estonia finally managed, shaking his date's hand. Well, not truly a date. He'd asked India if he could come over and spend some time getting to know him and his country. Estonia was mostly unfamiliar with India (both his host and the country) and felt it would be more fun just to spend time together and learn about the place, rather than trying to make it a date.

He had also (shyly, and feeling like a dork) put a white rose in his buttonhole. After all, India was one of the nations on the short list. But his host barely glanced at it, so it was unlikely that he was the one.

"What would you like to do today?" India asked.

"I really don't have any idea! Why don't you take me around and show me what you think is the best representation of your country?"

"Sure. A tour? Yes, and we can have some of my delicious food while we're out there. It's so delicious that even England has begun to acknowledge it." India snorted.

Estonia then remembered that those two had once been involved, no matter how briefly. He wondered how that had affected both of them. At least India didn't sound as vitriolic about it as Hong Kong had.

Soon his host had togged up and they were ready to go.

They spent a lot of time wandering around Mumbai, with India doing excellent tour guide work. Estonia was pleased, and spent a lot of time craning his head around to see the unusual sights. Eventually India suggested they stop for lunch.

"Yes, please. I hadn't realized how hungry I was getting."

When they sat, Estonia put his small backpack on the table. It fell over sideways and a camera slid out. India picked it up and glanced at his guest, who felt himself blushing furiously. "Why didn't you tell me you had a camera? We could have been taking pictures all morning!"

But the waiter came to take their orders, so Estonia had a few minutes to gather his thoughts. "Ahem." The Baltic nation took his glasses off and polished them, because he was too embarrassed to meet India's eyes. "Th-the camera is a gift from Hungary. Sh-she has it automatically set to upload all the pictures in it to the cloud."

"Hungary? I didn't realize the two of you were close." India set the camera back down.

"No, we're not." Estonia put his glasses back on. "Truth to tell, I'm very embarrassed about it. Sh-she, and Japan, they – they want me to take pictures of myself with my dates."

"Am I a date?" India wondered. "I had no idea."

"No, no; I just had the camera in there and forgot," Estonia lied. "I'll put it away." He did so.

The food arrived; they began to eat. But India now had a very sneaky look on his face. "Do you mean they wanted to see, ah, romantic pictures, as it were?"

"Yes!" he laughed. "I don't understand it, but that's what they want."

"Oh, I understand it. I'm having a nasty little idea. Maybe you'd be interested in playing along?"

"Tell me," Estonia begged eagerly. What could this idea be?

"We're right near a film studio. Why don't we go there and spend the day posing for them in costumes of my country? There are so many costumes at those places that we'd never duplicate anything."

"That could be fun, but how is it nasty? Just because they wouldn't be seeing what they want to see?"

India smirked. "If we're uploading photographs of us in different costumes, they're going to eventually be aware that we were changing clothes in the dressing room together. But they won't get to see any of that!" He started cackling, sounding alarmingly like Prussia. But then, those two were good friends.

Estonia's eyes gleamed behind his glasses. "That's brilliant. And we could do some fake teaser photos, too, like halfway out of a shirt, or whatever."

"Let's do this! Hurry up and eat!"

…

At the Bollywood film studio Estonia rubbernecked once more. He had no experience with big studios at all. India introduced him to the staff, explaining what they wanted, and the two of them headed towards the costume storage rooms.

"Here we go!" India threw open a large set of double doors and flicked on the light switch. Acres of brightly-colored costumes stretched in both directions.

"Wow."

"As you say. 'Wow.'" India cackled again. "Come on. Pick out an outfit."

"Well, but you'll have to help me," Estonia pointed out. "I don't know what kinds of things are meant to go together, or whatever."

"Ah. Yes. Well, set the backpack down. We can just get changed in here; this dressing room is not being used today."

Estonia set the backpack down and headed for a bright red garment that had caught his eye. "What about this?"

India laughed. "Sure, yes. Hold on." He pulled out all the costume pieces and explained how they were to be worn. After he'd gotten Estonia settled, he ran down to one end of the room and grabbed some gear, returning to change near his friend. "I love this outfit."

"Should we take a picture to start with? In our regular clothing?"

"Good idea. Let me see if I can borrow a tripod from somewhere. Do you know how to use the timer on the camera?"

"I'll work it out while you find a tripod." Estonia smiled. This was going to be fun, even if they didn't upload the photos. The costumes were all so beautiful! Silks, gold and silver threads, remarkably bright colors and vivid patterns…India certainly loved his colors.

When the host nation came back with the tripod Estonia had the timer all figured out. They set up the camera and posed for an introductory shot, as it were, with their arms around each other, flashing the Victory sign at the viewer, laughing.

"Good," India said after the shot was done. "That will whet their appetites."

Quickly the two nations changed into costumes and posed for a picture facing each other and bowing. "I can only imagine what Hungary is going to think when she sees these," Estonia laughed. "I feel like an idiot in this gear, with my blond hair and glasses."

"But you're adventurous enough to try it," India pointed out. "That's always fun. Maybe sometime I can come to your place and visit your cinemas?"

Estonia explained about his country's lack of high-end cinematic production. "We're slowly but surely beginning again, but we have had a dearth of real movies in the last few decades."

"That's a real shame! Films are a wonderful thing. My people are addicted to them."

"I can see why!" Estonia slipped out of his outfit and into the next one, hanging up the previous one and putting it back on the rack properly. "If my country can start making money with films again, we'll gear up, but for now, we're taking baby steps."

"A wise idea." India didn't speak as he struggled into his next outfit. They posed, hugging and laughing, and changed again.

…

The two nations spent about three hours playing around in the dressing room, still amused about Hungary and Japan and the photographs. "I'm beat," India finally said, collapsing onto a little stool. "Let's be done, get some dinner. I really need a cup of tea."

"That sounds good." Estonia had been riding a high all day, but with his host's words he suddenly realized how tired he actually was. He undressed one last time, putting his uniform back on, and took the camera off the tripod.

"Let me know how that all goes, yes?"

"Oh, yes. But is it possible Hungary may telephone _you_ about it? Or Japan might?"

"It's possible," India considered. "She's very touchy about my friendship with Prussia, so she might call me up just because she has an excuse to rant."

"Will that be all right? I don't want you to be troubled." He fiddled with his glasses.

But India burst into laughter. "Don't worry about it! I can deal with her."

"All right. I'm ready to go."

"Great. Let's get our dinner."

…

On the flight home, Estonia was in a very upbeat mood. He'd made a new friend, and played a little prank on Japan and Hungary! A very successful day indeed.

On the other hand…Japan was next on the spreadsheet. This filled him with a lot of nervousness. Prior to his date with Hungary, he'd considered Japan the frontrunner on the list of rose donors, because he was so quiet. But now, Estonia feared that Japan's hidden _yaoi_ desires might make a very uncomfortable date! Well, a world meeting approached. He'd talk to Japan there. Maybe the Asian nation would be so pissed off about the costume photos that he wouldn't even want to go out with Estonia.

And he still had to figure out what to do about Hong Kong.

He sighed again. But it had been a very fun day.

…

_Japan next._


	22. Pushy Nations

**Pushy Nations.**

Another world meeting, another boring week, this time in Italy. Estonia smiled as he headed into the conference room. He wondered what Hungary and Japan would say to him, wondered what Hong Kong would do today. But he was in a good mood, so he didn't really care. He could deal with Hong Kong.

None of those nations was in the room yet, but India was; he waved and smiled. Estonia got breakfast and sat next to his new friend. "Well? Did they say anything to you?" India demanded.

"Not a word. I bet they won't say anything. They won't want to appear silly in front of all the other nations." Estonia calmly sipped his coffee. It had been fun, putting one over on those two _yaoi_ lovers.

The conference room door slammed open so hard it hit the wall and bounced back. Hungary's palm stopped it from slamming into her face and she stalked right up to the edge of the table, furious. Neither India nor Estonia could hold back laughter. Luckily they were separated from her by the width of the table.

"I can't believe you, Estonia!" she yelled, trying to reach him with her frying pan. "Didn't you understand what I wanted? You completely messed it up!"

He scooted back in his chair, well out of reach. "India and I took pictures, Hungary. Isn't that what you wanted us to do?" His tone was cheeky; he felt bolder knowing that India was sitting with him and enjoying her discomfiture too.

"Grr. I'll get back at you somehow."

Japan then entered the room and stepped up behind Hungary silently. When she tried to swing the frying pan once more, he gently removed it from her on the backswing and set it on the table. "Uh? Huh? Oh! Oh, Japan, let me at him." She lunged for the pan but Japan blocked her.

"Hungary-san. You catch more flies with honey than vinegar."

"What? What does that mean? Some kind of stupid English saying?" She stretched around him to get the pan; most of the nations in the room sat laughing at the show. Hong Kong scurried in, holding a box of chocolates. This barely registered with the Baltic nation, focused as he was on Hungary.

"Do not antagonize Estonia-san. It is perhaps only that he misunderstood your request." Japan turned to examine Estonia with his flat expression.

The blond's laughter faltered as he met those inscrutable dark eyes. He shivered a little. Japan was next on his list! "Do you want to go out with me, Japan?" he blurted out, with a chuckle. "We can take all the pictures you want!" He and India both rocked with laughter.

"Estonia-san." That was all the Asian nation said to him. "No."

And right then Estonia knew he would never be able to date Japan. If he didn't freak out from the _yaoi_ business, he'd be damned uncomfortable seeing that calculating gaze on him all the time! No, he couldn't do it. He mentally scratched the Asian completely off the list and turned back to Hungary a bit nervously.

But she had calmed down. "Do you need further instruction?" she asked Estonia sweetly, as if he were mentally defective.

"Do you want to demonstrate?" he retorted, trying to use the same tone of voice.

"Oh! You're completely impossible!"

"I know," Estonia laughed, trying to sound bold. "You may keep your camera." He pushed it across the table to her and raised an eyebrow. Would she take it and go?

Hugging the Baltic nation, India chimed in, "Sorry you had to miss all the fun," and the two of them giggled again at the anger that crossed her face. Hungary grabbed the camera and stormed to the other end of the table, Japan following.

"Whew," Estonia whispered, still laughing a little. "Didn't expect her to be so violent."

"Whatever. Want to go to dinner tonight?"

He grinned. "Sure. Lots of good pasta places around."

"Did someone say 'pasta,' ve?"

"Shut up, fratello. Let's get the fucking meeting started, dammit." Romano bopped his little brother on the head with a rolled-up newspaper and tried to call the meeting to order.

…

When Estonia got back to his room after dinner, Latvia gestured to a vase of white roses. "You got them again," he giggled.

The older nation was almost nervous as he reached for the card. What if Japan _had_ been the sender? What if this card was a reproach, and the Asian did want to date him? Oh, dear. This couldn't be good.

But it was a nice card. Same handwriting, message a little different. GOOD WORK! SHE IS VERY ANNOYING. And a tiny little smiley face.

Wow. He doubted it was Japan now, for a couple of reasons: one, he wouldn't call his friend Hungary annoying, and two, he really didn't think Japan would draw little smiley faces unless he was seriously trying to throw off suspicion. Plus Japan had flat-out refused him this morning. Good. Estonia could move on.

He sat on the bed with his laptop and eliminated Japan from the list of possible dates and the list of possible rose givers. After that, he mentally compared that latter list to the nations he could remember being in the room when Hungary had entered.

No, he couldn't remember. "Hey, were you in the room this morning when Hungary blew up?"

Latvia turned from his comic book. "Blew up? No, I didn't see that. Why? Are the roses from her?" He snickered a little, possibly imagining Estonia on the run from the frying pan.

"No." That much, he knew. "Never mind, then." Had Cyprus been there? He still couldn't guess whether it might be Cyprus. "Was Canada there today?" he asked Latvia. "In the meeting?"

"Of course. He was with Cyprus. Those two are together all the time, now."

Huh. Probably not Cyprus, then.

Someone knocked on the door; the two Baltic nations looked at each other in confusion. "You're expecting someone? I hope it's not Russia!" Latvia leaped up and hid in the bathroom.

Estonia, rolling his eyes, answered the door.

Immediately he wished he hadn't. Hong Kong stood there, tears in his eyes, with an origami lotus flower in one hand and the box of chocolates in the other. "Oh, Estonia," he said sadly.

Shit.

"Come in," he offered. Maybe Latvia's presence would be effective as a – uh – romantic deterrent?

Hong Kong came in, dumping the chocolates on the desk, and embraced Estonia. Latvia peeked out of the bathroom and yelped, and the Asian jumped back. "Wh-who's here?" he blurted out, red-faced.

"It's just Latvia! He's my roommate." Damn. Did Hong Kong really think he'd moved on to sleeping with some other nation?

But he might have done, if Hungary hadn't been such a weirdo about her photographs. She was pretty sexy. Too bad she was psycho. Almost as bad as Belarus, in a totally different way, of course.

"I can't talk in front of Latvia! Come downstairs to the bar with me." Hong Kong tugged at his sleeve.

"What's there to talk about?" This was really irritating. Estonia had completely moved on from the clingy Hong Kong and didn't need, or want, to revisit their relationship.

"I want you back! Here." He extended the origami flower. "I wrote you a love poem and made it into a flower."

Ill-concealed giggles came from the bathroom. "Shut up, Latvia," Estonia groaned. To Hong Kong he said, "I don't want a love poem," and pushed the flower back at him.

"I can't believe you! I – I – " The brunet burst into tears; the blond dithered. Should he hug him? Would that make things worse?

And as he stood there waffling, Hong Kong threw himself into Estonia's arms. "Oh, oh," he wailed, "oh…" He turned his tearful face to his ex-boyfriend's. "I can't stand it, I – I think about you all the time, and – and – " He gave up speaking and hugged tighter.

Estonia still stood like a statue, arms at his sides, wondering just what the hell to do about this. "Hong Kong, I'm with someone else," he finally lied. "Got that? This kind of thing is just the reason I broke up with you!"

"Y-you're dating someone else?" Hong Kong let go and stood back, almost instantly in control of himself again. "India?"

"Not India, no. Just – just go, and let's forget this ever happened." Though he'd bet Latvia would tease him about it for a long time. The younger nation still lurked in the bathroom, and still giggled periodically.

"Hungary?"

"Not Hungary! Will you please just go? My – my love life is none of your business." He blushed and adjusted his glasses. "Please?"

"Very well," Hong Kong told him in a calm and manly voice. "I'll go. This was your last chance, Estonia. Don't come crawling back to me." He swept haughtily out of the room, taking his lotus flower and chocolates with him.

Estonia sank onto the bed, removing his glasses, bracing himself for Latvia's teasing, but the younger nation simply exited the bathroom and headed back to his own bed without speaking. Though he did have a tiny little smirk on his face.

'Don't come crawling back to me.' Hah. Estonia was simply glad he could now be shot of the clingy nation.

Oh. Right! He'd been analyzing the rose donor list again. Maybe tomorrow he'd wear a rose in his buttonhole. If that nation was here, then…it might spark something.

…

_Next: part 2 of this world meeting._


	23. Observations

**Observations.**

In the morning Estonia felt stupid about the idea of wearing a rose in his buttonhole. He knew, he _knew_ everyone would ask him about it. Nobody did that kind of thing anymore, except France. They'd probably wonder if it was in honor of some national celebration. The point being that if the giver was that shy, listening to all the other nations questioning Estonia would probably drive him (or her) away.

But he did put one of the roses in his briefcase, in case he changed his mind later.

Prussia and Denmark had collared India today, so Estonia moved to sit near Greece, who was already asleep. Veneziano asked Germany to start the meeting for him, and despite Romano's scowls, he did.

Estonia spent the morning in quiet contemplation. He observed each nation in turn, sometimes staring for several minutes while his brain clicked through analysis and calculation. Near the front of the room, his friend England nodded at him before turning to attend to something Romano whispered. France – well, he didn't look at France for very long. He couldn't watch him without thinking about their night of lovemaking, which was excessively distracting. Belgium gave him a little smile; Canada a sweeter one. Cyprus, next to Canada, fidgeted and blushed. Could it be? Would Estonia want it to be? He couldn't decide. Didn't know Cyprus well enough to make that decision. But if it was, he'd give it a try.

Further down the table, Norway nodded, not smiling; Bulgaria didn't look up from his note pad. That was sad. He still felt very bad about that date, and wished he could at least clear the air between them. Egypt offered him a little finger-wave, without smiling, and South Korea grinned like a maniac when he met Estonia's eyes.

That was an interesting thought. He could stretch a point and ask him out next (as 'Korea') instead of waiting until he got to the 'S' nations. He grinned back but continued his observations.

Hong Kong caught his eye and very dramatically turned away with a huge sigh and flounce, shifting his chair closer to China's. Hah. What a drama queen. Estonia would never have guessed it! China didn't even react except to reach out and pat Hong Kong's hand.

Belarus was too busy cozying up to Russia to pay attention to him. Russia! Uh. Had Estonia put him on the spreadsheet? Because he refused to try and date that nation. Refused. He'd check the spreadsheet later and make sure Russia was either not on it, or was crossed out.

Ah, why not; he'd update it now. He hefted his briefcase onto the table and opened it. Was anyone looking? Did they see that rose?

Nope. Nobody was paying a single bit of attention to him. He sighed, pulled out the laptop, and checked his spreadsheet. Hah. His subconscious did good work; Russia wasn't even on the sheet. He closed the briefcase and set it aside, but kept the laptop on the table. At least it would be something to play with, while he ignored Germany for a change.

…

At lunchtime Estonia decided to eat alone in the hotel restaurant. He needed some time to think. The Baltic nation got a corner table and sat, ordering a pasta meal.

Various other nations trundled in, sat, ordered. Everyone left Estonia alone, and he was happy for it. He had so much to consider.

The meal came and he ate it. It was very tasty.

Just as he took the check, all the lights went out. A power outage? And the restaurant was in the building's core – no windows. The sound level escalated as nations and patrons began to panic. Estonia stopped trying to sign the receipt in the dark and sat back. He could stay calm. No doubt the hotel had generators. His hand groped for his water glass and he drank.

And yes, within two minutes the power was back on. Germany, appearing hassled, was frantically trying to console a hysterical Veneziano, while Prussia had apparently slipped behind the bar to pilfer a few beers in the confusion. Estonia watched him laugh his way back to his lunch table, offering England, Denmark and Romano drinks from the tray.

The Baltic nation finished signing his check and stood to leave, and then froze: a white rose lay on the table, next to the water glass. Was that _his_ rose? No, he'd left it in the briefcase, which was still in the meeting room. And it definitely hadn't been there when he'd sat down to lunch.

S-s-so the mystery nation had come to his table in the dark? Estonia panicked, madly scanning the room for a clue.

Nobody watched him, and all of the nations he could see in the restaurant were already in relationships! Damn. But then, if _he_ had tried a stunt like this, he would have flung the rose down and escaped from the restaurant before the lights came on. And the mystery nation was very shy, that he knew already.

Feeling excited, he put the new rose into his buttonhole. If anyone asked, he'd simply say he'd taken it from the restaurant table – which was true – and he could watch to see who might be paying attention. Maybe he wouldn't even need to ask Korea for a date!

As Estonia wandered back to the meeting room with his head in the clouds, a cold thought caught at his heart. What if all this buildup of expectations led to some date failure? After all, he wasn't exactly successful at dating. Pfft.

He squared his shoulders. He'd do his best. He'd be patient and careful, a gentleman, and see if he could _make_ it work.

As long as it wasn't Hong Kong.

…

Half the nations had failed to come back to the meeting. "Ve, I heard them say they were scared of more power outages, so they were going to go outside," Veneziano sighed, gazing out the window longingly.

"Lucky bastards," his brother grumbled.

But Germany was, as always, more attentive to the business of the meeting than anything else. "We no longer have a quorum," he realized. "If we don't get five more nations in here in the next half hour we'll call off today's session."

"Ve! Yahoo! Oh, Germany, let's just call it off now, please, please? Please, Germany?"

Romano continued to mutter under his breath. "Fucking idiot."

Germany smoothed a hand over his severe hairstyle. "Yes, Italy, we will call off the meeting for today. Do you understand?" he appealed to the room. "We will need to work overtime tomorrow to make up for this loss! Be prepared to work hard!"

But almost everyone had fled at his first "Yes." Estonia packed up his things.

"Kesesese! Let's go do something fun. Romano, what can we do that's fun?"

"Cheh. Bouncy houses?"

"Bouncy houses for everyone!" Prussia leaped up and began to cheer; unfortunately only a handful of nations remained to hear this.

"Wh-what are bouncy houses?" Estonia asked shyly.

"An inflatables park," Denmark explained. "Moon bounces. All kinds of them!"

"May I join you?"

"Sure, you can all awesomely join us!" Prussia's wide arm sweep included Ukraine and America, the only others who were still in the room.

"Cool, bro! Let me stash this junk and I'll meet you in the lobby." America ran out of the room.

"You guys coming?" the albino asked.

"N-not me," Ukraine said with a nervous voice. Estonia glanced at her briefly. Possibly bouncing didn't appeal to her. Hah.

"Okay, well, Estonia, if you're coming, meet us in the lobby. Awesome!"

Everyone exited the conference room. Estonia went back to his room and put away his items, including the rose, which would simply get damaged at an inflatables park.

In twenty minutes everyone had assembled in the lobby, along with Bulgaria and Romania. "You don't mind if we join you?" the fanged nation asked.

"The more the merrier, man," America told him with a little smile; Prussia gave the thumbs-up. Everyone filed outside and headed to the bouncy houses.

…

"H-have you seen Romania?" a nervous Bulgaria asked him later. "I haven't seen him for at least an hour!"

"No." Estonia took a deep breath. Now he had a chance to set things straight. "Bulgaria, are we – are we all right? You're not still, ah, upset about – "

"I – uh – it's all right. Don't worry about it. Okay? We're f-fine. Just – just help me find Romania!"

They walked off together, Estonia taking care not to bump or brush against the other nation. "Why is it so important to find him?"

"Ah, I, I'm worried about him. He's a very good friend of mine, and I worry!" Bulgaria seemed very agitated.

"I'm sure he can take care of himself." Estonia did think he was being a bit overprotective.

"Ah ha ha ha!" they heard from behind a bouncy house, competing with the sound of the motor that kept the thing inflated. America's voice.

"Maybe he's seen him?" Estonia wondered. Together they skirted the inflatable, shocked at what they saw.

America and Romania sat cuddled close, feeding each other cookies, whispering, giggling. "Romania!" Bulgaria yelled.

"Oh, hey guys!" America held out the bag of cookies. "Want some?"

Estonia rolled his eyes and left.

…

"Do you all come to – uh – 'bouncy house' places often?" Estonia asked Denmark, as they all relaxed with cool drinks later. "I've never heard of them."

"Yeah, well, it's sort of a fallback thing for us. We had our first date at a bouncy house place in Germany."

"You and Prussia?" An unusual first date, but maybe he'd keep it in mind. Korea might like to do it.

"Hah! No. Prussia and Romano and me."

"A _date_?"

Denmark laughed loudly and poked him. "Just a joke."

"Oh. Okay."

"Kesesese!"

…

At the end of the day all the nations limped out to the nearest taxi station. Estonia's feet hurt, and he wished he'd been smart enough to change out of his uniform and into casual clothes before they'd left the hotel. He felt certain he was developing bruises where the belt buckle and heavy brass buttons had dug into his flesh on impact.

He and America shared a cab back to the hotel. "Man, that Romania's sweet," America sighed. "Did you ever go out with him?"

"Nope."

"I wonder if he's unattached? Bulgaria seemed really upset to find us with the cookies. But we were just having a little fun."

"Eh."

"You're pretty experienced with dating," America mused. "Tell me the best way to ask him for a date."

"What?" This shocked Estonia into sitting upright. But, he supposed the hero was right. He _did_ have a lot of experience with dating, by now. "I might not be the best person to give advice," he laughed.

"Just give me some ideas. I'll figure it out."

"Well, then just ask him out! Pick something you want to know about him, and ask him."

"Ask him what? What should I ask?" the hero panicked.

"How would I know? I don't know him well. Bulgaria would know."

"Ah, man, Bulgaria's a real vicious bastard. I don't like to talk to him."

Estonia blinked. That was a rather odd assessment of the dark-haired nation. Even before their bad date, Bulgaria had never come across as a vicious bastard. But then, if he was being overprotective of Romania, of course America would find that distressing.

The cab pulled up outside the hotel; America paid the driver and the two nations limped wearily inside.

"Just ask him," Estonia repeated weakly before heading for the elevator. "The worst that can happen is that he says no."

America nodded. "I can do that. Thanks, man." He headed to the hotel bar.

"Good luck!"

…

After a long, hot shower, Estonia examined his body, and did see several small bruises forming. Eh. By morning he should be all right. He slipped into the bed, not even bothering with dinner.

…

"Screw it," he said aloud, startling Latvia the next morning.

"Screw what?" The younger nation giggled.

"Nothing." Estonia took a rose and put it in his buttonhole before going to breakfast in the hotel restaurant.

He sat at the same corner table as before. Surprisingly, all the vases in the room had white roses in them. Was this some kind of prank?

Nations entered and found tables. America came over. "Hey, man, can I join you? Nice rose!" America pulled one from the table's vase and stuck it in the top buttonhole of his shirt. "Nice touch, man. I want to talk to you about Romania again."

Estonia sighed. "Go ahead."

For the next half hour he tried his best to help the heroic nation figure out the best way to approach Romania, but by the time his food was gone, Estonia just wanted to get away from him. Listening to America sing his own praises wasn't on his top ten list. "Right, well, I'll see you," he said, rising and making his escape.

…

What?

The entire conference room was filled with vases of white roses. "What?" Estonia said aloud.

"Ve! Don't they look pretty, Estonia? I saw you were wearing one in your buttonhole yesterday, and it reminded me of how much I love white roses. I haven't thought about them in years." Veneziano beamed at the Baltic nation. "So I ordered a bunch for all the hotel's common areas, ve. Nice?"

"Nice," Estonia sighed. Turning to Korea at the buffet, he asked resignedly, "Want to have dinner with me tonight?" He didn't even care what the answer would be.

"Whoa! Yeah! I'd love to, da ze!"

Estonia sighed again, nodding, and sat down for the meeting.

…

_Next: South Korea._


	24. An Ill-Advised Date

_Sometimes you just know it's wrong._

…

**An Ill-Advised Date.**

"I don't really know if I should have said yes, da ze," Korea laughed, as they headed to a restaurant.

"What? Why not?"

"You have a reputation! Hong Kong's been talking about you a lot."

Uh-oh. "Wh-what did he say?" Estonia groaned inwardly. He could just imagine.

"Well, for a while, it was all about how wonderful you are, intelligent and sexy."

Hah.

"But then, he started talking about you being a mean bastard with a cold heart, da ze!"

"Well, of course he'd say that. I broke up with him."

"Why?"

"Too clingy."

"Ha ha! You won't get that with me! Where are you taking me?"

Good. He did hope Korea was not clingy. Another nation like Hong Kong would be a pain in the neck! Estonia named the restaurant.

"You know, big brother China actually stole the idea of pasta from me."

Estonia wasn't sure about that, but he took the tactful approach. "I had heard that pasta originated in the East, but not specifically where."

"Are we going anywhere after dinner, da ze?"

"We could go to the bouncy house place?" Though Estonia wasn't sure he could find his way back there, but a cab driver ought to know.

"What's that?"

He explained.

"Sure! It sounds like fun." Korea waved his arms in the air excitedly, his sleeves and hair curl flopping as he danced. "I'm so excited about this date! Nobody ever wants to date me."

"Why not?" This could be bad.

"I'm too awesome, I guess."

"You should go out with Prussia," Estonia replied automatically; whenever the word 'awesome' cropped up, that's who he thought of.

Korea stopped in his tracks. "Estonia, why? You don't want to go out with me?"

Damn. "That wasn't what I meant. Sorry." He tried to reach for Korea's hand. "I just meant because Prussia's awesome too."

"But he's dating that blond guy. I can't even remember his name, da ze." Korea put a finger to his chin, thinking. "The one with the axe? You know I invented the axe, don't you?"

"You – uh – that nation is Denmark." Estonia couldn't figure out what else to say to that bizarre statement. He really didn't know Denmark's name? Korea was either very ignorant or very self-centered. Estonia quickly decided it must be ignorance.

They reached the restaurant and entered. "Ah, I love the scent of Italian food," the Baltic nation sighed.

"It's not bad! Not bad at all." Korea sniffed too. "It's not as good as kimchi, of course, but it's pretty good."

"What is kimchi?" Estonia genuinely didn't know.

As they perused the menus his date explained how Koreans fermented vegetables with spices to make the national dish. He peppered his explanation with a lot of "da ze" comments, and was clearly bursting with national pride, but the explanation was fun to listen to, and Estonia grinned as his date concluded the lecture.

"It sounds delicious. I'd like to try it sometime."

"You should! You should come see me after this week of meetings is over and we can try all the most delicious dishes that originated in my country, that never made it as exports."

"I'm game." They ordered their meals.

"So, Hong Kong tells me you're pretty hot in the sack, da ze."

Estonia felt a blush rising. They talked about this kind of thing? "Uh, er, well, I don't – I don't know – " He had no idea how to respond to that!

Korea laughed. "That's all right. We can have sex later and I can find out for myself."

Several restaurant patrons turned to gape at them after this conversational comment had been offered; Estonia flung down his napkin. "Er – excuse me, I need the men's room."

He made his escape. Wow. He hadn't expected this kind of social gracelessness from Korea. In fact, he cast his mind over all the nations he could think of, and couldn't come up with any nation he'd expect to behave that way! Maybe some of the micronations, he considered; he knew Latvia was pretty socially inept, and figured Sealand and the others might be, too, but they wouldn't be talking about sex anyway. For a nation as old as Korea to be calmly chatting about that – _in the middle of a restaurant?_ Estonia washed his flaming face with cold, cold water, and headed back to the table, jittering.

"Everything okay, da ze?"

"Y-yes, fine."

"So Hong Kong tells me you like lotus flowers. I don't have any for you."

"I don't particularly like them. That was his idea."

"Oh, good. Flowers are too girly, da ze." Korea drank some sparkling water.

Estonia turned the conversation to national festivals. Maybe this would keep his date from blurting out any more awkward comments.

For a while they chatted of this and that, Korea maintaining his excitable nature, and Estonia just barely beginning to worry about this possible relationship.

But the meal concluded with no further social faux pas on the Asian's part, and they headed out to the inflatables park.

Korea grabbed him by the arm. "Hey, Estonia. Give me a kiss."

"What? Well, all right." He moved closer and felt Korea's arms tighten around his waist as they kissed before getting into the taxi.

"Whoa, you're good. Want to skip this date and head back to bed, da ze?"

Argh! "Uh, well, not really."

"Nuts! I've been thinking about banging you ever since you asked me out. I mean, Hong Kong was _really_ hot and bothered about you. He showed me some of the things you did together."

The Baltic nation stood like a deer in headlights while his date continued, "You know that sex was invented in my country?"

"Aah!" Estonia leaped into the cab and escaped back to the hotel.

…

_Hang in there, Estonia._


	25. Embarrassment

**Embarrassment.**

Estonia hated hosting meetings, but this time it was his turn. Well, at least it was summer, and the weather was good. He planned to calmly invite Macau for a dinner date.

It had amused him to see that all the "L" nations were unavailable, for one reason or another.

He got to the meeting room a little late. Everything had been set up the night before, including the projector for the slide presentation about bioengineered crops. People were swarming, as usual, and Macau was conveniently alone near the tea things. "Want to go to dinner with me tonight?" Estonia asked with a nice smile, before pouring some tea.

Macau looked around wildly, then back to the host nation. "What? Me?" He was bright red and completely flustered. How cute! Even – uh – Hong Kong hadn't looked so cute when Estonia had first asked.

"Yes, you. You're not that familiar with Tallinn, are you? I could show you around." He kept the smile on his face, but he was starting to get a little nervous. Macau's expression hadn't changed, and –

"Oh, no, no, no, no! I can't go out with you!" the Asian nation yelled in a loud voice, backing away a little.

"Shh!" Estonia, deeply embarrassed, gave his arm a little yank, but apparently no one had heard.

Macau's voice immediately dropped to a dramatic whisper. "Oh. No. Of course not. Sorry."

"Why can't you go out with me?"

"Hong Kong would _kill me!_" Macau burst into tears and elbowed his way away from the table.

Damn that Hong Kong. Was his life going to be plagued by that nation for the rest of his life? He finished getting his tea, sighing, and headed to the front of that room.

…

"And we can see from this chart that the production of canola is decreasing; the European Union is still strongly against its use." Estonia yawned. This stuff was even boring to _him!_ He looked around the room to see many nations in a sort of stupor, staring at the screen. Prussia and Denmark were up to something, he could tell, but he didn't really care.

He fiddled with his glasses, checking his notes, while he pushed the button to advance the slide. "In point of fact, since the late 1970s – " Estonia interrupted himself as people in the room began giggling. He pushed his glasses up his nose and glanced at Prussia and Denmark, but they were laughing just as much as everyone else. Estonia couldn't see what the problem was. He waited a moment – a bad idea, because the hilarity increased – and then raised his voice. "Please focus on the presentation!"

Laughter simply became louder. Angry now, Estonia glared at the two troublemakers. "Prussia! Denmark!"

Denmark was laughing so hard he couldn't speak, but he pointed to the screen.

A giant hand-drawn red heart with "Hong Kong + Estonia" was on it. A _slide!_ That little, annoying sneak. Estonia hurriedly advanced the slide – thankfully to one with the proper information on it – and cursed under his breath. Hong Kong wouldn't meet his eyes, but he was smirking, and so was Japan. Hah. He'd bet Hungary had helped out with that, too.

"Ahem. Please settle down, people." He stood, patient and mature, by the laptop, and waited.

The chart on the screen was pretty boring. Soon everyone was calm again, although there were still residual chuckles here and there. Estonia ignored them and went on with his presentation.

About six slides later he was staring right at the screen as he advanced the slide, and actually yelped when this one came up. "Photoshop?" he yelled, making everyone laugh again. "Damn it, Hong Kong!" He was blisteringly angry and terribly embarrassed, too; the slide showed a grinning Estonia being kissed by Hong Kong in a _cheongsam_ dress.

The still-smirking Hong Kong still wouldn't look up, but Hungary was beaming. Of course.

"We will take a fifteen-minute break!"

Many nations leaped up and left the room, but a lot of them were still amused by the slide, which Estonia had forgotten to advance. He ignored it and stomped straight up to Hong Kong. "Stop disrupting my meeting! Can't you be man enough to tell me this personally? Privately?"

At that, the Asian glanced up reproachfully. "I try, Estonia," he said sadly. "I keep trying, and you keep rejecting me."

If that was a pity ploy, it failed. "Because you keep doing stuff like this!" He swept his arm around to point at the slide and almost hit Romano in the nose. "Oops. Sorry."

"Yeah, it's all right, bastard. Get your love life straightened out before the meeting starts again."

"Shut it, wanker. Let's go get a snack." England dragged the Italian out of the room.

Hong Kong, Japan, and Hungary were the only ones that remained with Estonia by now. "Estonia-san, you don't wish to date Hong Kong again?"

"He's so photogenic," Hungary blurted out. Both Estonia and Japan glared at that.

"Will you two please witness this? I've told Hong Kong a million times, I don't want to keep dating him. He's too clingy and demands too much attention. Several times I thought he'd gotten the message, but apparently not."

Japan looked contrite, as far as Estonia could tell. "Forgive us, Estonia-san. We would not have been so pushy if we had known that."

Estonia scowled at Hong Kong. "Do you understand?" he asked his ex-boyfriend. "Say it! Say you understand, say it in front of Hungary and Japan, so they know it! So you get it through your thick skull!"

"I understand," Hong Kong sighed, his voice wobbly. "I'll stop p-pestering you."

"Good." Then Estonia felt as if he were being too cruel, so he went on in a quiet voice, "Sorry."

"Uh-huh."

Damn, now he felt like a complete bastard. "A-are there any more slides in there I need to get rid of?"

"Yes," Hungary replied, her eyes on Hong Kong. "Let me see the presentation; I can delete them for you." She efficiently cleaned up the presentation file. "Come on, you two. Let's get some fresh air."

Hong Kong and Japan headed towards the door with her; Estonia sank into a chair and rested his forehead on the table. The last thing he heard Hungary say, as they left the room, was, "Why haven't you two ever gone out together?"

Estonia snorted. Hopefully this day would go by without too much more drama. He could never decide whether meetings were better when they were boring, or when drama happened to liven them up.

Drama. As long as it didn't take place at his own expense.

…

No roses. He wondered if this was because he didn't have to stay at the hotel. Maybe the nation didn't know his home address.

Or – or maybe he, or she, was mad? Maybe the person thought he really was in love with Hong Kong.

Estonia wanted to get angry about this. He wanted to feel irritated that the rose person wasn't man enough (as it were) to step up and ask him for a date.

B-but he was a little sad that he hadn't gotten them, this time.

…

_Next: Monaco._


	26. A Serious Date

**A Serious Date.**

Estonia straightened his tie and gripped his bunch of cornflowers tightly. Tonight he was taking the beautiful and very earnest Monaco to dinner, at her home, and who knew what could happen? Her casinos were famous. Estonia wasn't much of a gambler, but he knew it would be fun to explore it and maybe make a few small bets. To wager a kiss? He felt himself blushing as he rang the doorbell.

Monaco smiled softly as she opened the door. "Good evening, Estonia. Please come inside."

He entered the small, exquisite home, extending the bouquet. "I hope you like flowers."

"They are beautiful," she agreed. "A very striking color. Allow me a moment to place them in water."

When he nodded, she stepped out of the room; he examined the painting that dominated the room, a large oil painting of France in pre-Revolutionary dress. Ah, that man was so handsome no matter what he wore. Even if he wore nothing! Estonia blushed and turned away from the doorway where Monaco had just come back with the flowers in a vase. She placed them on the mantelpiece and turned to him.

"Do we have any specific plans?" he asked.

"Well, you did say dinner, and so I've made reservations for us at a very nice place. The summer evenings are fine enough that we can spend time exploring the city beforehand, if you like?"

"I would like that very much." He offered her his arm and the two of them passed out into the warm and mellow sun.

Wow, she was so pretty. Very regal-looking, despite her somewhat nerdy glasses. But of course Estonia's glasses were fairly unfashionable, too. Maybe he ought to look into getting a new, more stylish pair. He smiled at his date as they walked; she began giving him a little tour guide talk.

"May we spend some time at the casino?" he asked eagerly, during a lull.

Monaco stopped right in the middle of the sidewalk and let go of his arm. "Estonia, you did no research about my home?"

It was difficult to read her expression. "Yes, I did," he told her. "That's why I want to go play in the casino! It sounds so interesting."

But she continued gazing at him with a very flat expression. "I am not permitted in the casino."

He blinked. "Why not?"

"The casinos are for tourists. Visitors."

"I'm a visitor." Surely she didn't mean _completely not permitted to enter?_ "You could show me around inside, at least?"

"I am afraid not." She took his arm again and began to walk on; Estonia had no choice but to follow.

Well, that was disappointing. Not that he'd planned to drop a bundle in the casino, but he'd at least wanted to see it. Maybe he'd come back sometime with a different nation. But he'd have to look up this regulation. It seemed somewhat arbitrary.

Time enough for that later. Estonia exerted himself to be gentlemanly again. "You're very close to France, aren't you? I saw the very large portrait you had of him in the living room." Hah. Hard to miss it. It took up half a wall.

"France has been my protector for many years. I trust him with everything."

"Somewhat like Liechtenstein and Switzerland, then, I suppose?"

"In a way. Although I'm not strictly as dependent on France as she is with Switzerland." Monaco took up the tour guide talk again, explaining about architecture and history.

Estonia paid close attention. His request to Monaco had not been "asking for a date." Instead, he'd simply said that he was on a quest to learn more about each nation. He hoped that this one-size-fits-all explanation would work for her and everyone else he sought out this year, and that way if anyone from before heard of it, he wouldn't come across as a loser who couldn't keep a partner.

Although of course he was beginning to feel that way, Hong Kong excepted, of course.

When they passed a market stall selling roses, he stopped and bought her a pink one to wear in her hair. Monaco blushed, but arranged the rose prettily, using a nearby shop window as a mirror. "Thank you," she told him matter-of-factly. "It's nice to look festive every once in a while." But she didn't seem particularly interested in the rose itself.

Eventually the two of them reached the restaurant she'd chosen. It had a beautiful view of the Mediterranean, and with the setting sun behind the restaurant the view was bathed in the golden glow. "This is striking," Estonia told his date.

"Thank you." The waiter led them to the table and they sat, gazing happily outside at the water, the boats, the buildings.

As Estonia looked, he allowed himself to think about this date. Monaco was certainly lovely. The restriction about the casino was a little disappointing. He'd envisioned happy, laughing dates with her, playing roulette or blackjack, sort of how James Bond would act if he ever cut loose. But that wasn't able to take place, apparently.

The most disconcerting thing about the date so far was that Monaco seemed quite stuffy. She was very polite and formal. And that was nice, of course, but it was just the same way that Estonia was! He could just imagine the two of them trying to have some kind of conversation and they'd just sit there being stilted and formal with each other. Bleah.

Here he became aware that she was gazing at him wordlessly, and he forced himself to pay attention to her. "Is this one of your favorite restaurants?" he asked, the first question that popped into his head.

"Not particularly. The food is all right, but I like to bring visitors here because of the view." She peeked out at the water again.

He was surprised at that. Yes, the view was awesome, but if he had a date, he'd take her (or him) to the best restaurant in Tallinn, to impress her (or him). He said as much.

"Oh!" Monaco pressed her palms to her suddenly-red cheeks. "Estonia, is this a – a _date_?"

Whoops. He'd forgotten about his cover story. "W-well, I – I wasn't sure about it," he waffled, scrambling to come up with something sensible. "I thought maybe tonight we'd just spend time together and – and I could see, you know, just how – "

But she interrupted. "Oh. I had no idea. I – you – " She stumbled to a halt as well.

"Please forgive me," he offered. Gentlemanly he could be; perhaps it would help smooth things over.

"Of course." Monaco seemed to have a grip on herself as well, after that.

The waiter brought their meals and they silently began to eat. Estonia was inwardly cursing himself. Now he would be committed to try to date her! Up until that thoughtless comment he'd been fairly certain they wouldn't succeed as dates, because they were too similar, with their formal and (he had to admit) sensible natures. But now – if he backed off now, he'd come across as incredibly rude. To tell a girl he'd considered dating her, and then not ask for the date? Oh, Estonia's brain was in a muddle, and he worked his way through the meal with an absolute minimum of conversation, his mind on everything else.

Monaco too seemed thoughtful.

When the meal was over he paid the bill and they left; she avoided taking his proffered arm. Was he going too fast? Or maybe she wanted to hold hands. He reached for her hand but she clearly drew it away. "Estonia, I – I don't think we should try to date," she said, with a slight frown.

Oh. "Why not?" He was relieved, but curious.

"I think you're a nice nation. You've been very polite tonight, and quite interested in my culture, but I – but I – " She waved her hands aimlessly, searching for a thought; he didn't know her well, but this already seemed uncharacteristic, for her to be at a loss. "I just think you – we – oh, I don't know how to put it!"

"I do," he sighed. "Too sensible? Too stuffy?" Of course she would think that. It was absolutely true.

Monaco blushed. "W-well, somewhat. Not too stuffy, of course." She cleared her throat. "I'm simply not certain it would work out."

That was a very polite way of putting it. "I understand. Would you like to go home?"

"Y-yes, please. I'm a bit disconcerted right now." She looked around somewhat sadly. "It's this way."

Silently the two passed through bustling Monegasque streets to her tidy home. Estonia thought about personality types, about his own personality; he wondered how many nations had this sort of dichotomy in their souls: seeming stuffy and sensible – well, he _was_ sensible, no 'seeming' about it – on the outside, and wishing to have fun and play, on the inside. He'd assumed everyone was like that, more or less. Maybe he'd been wrong.

By the time they reached Monaco's home the sun had set completely. "I'm sorry it didn't work out," Estonia told her somewhat cheerfully, having used the walking time to sort all this out in his head. "I'll see you at the next meeting?"

Monaco gave him a very beautiful smile. "Thank you, Estonia. You're truly a gentleman." They shook hands and she went into her home with a last wave.

And Estonia headed off to the casino with a jaunty step, whistling his national anthem.

…

_Next: Netherlands! Time for Esti to have a little fun._


	27. A Wild Date!

**A Wild Date!**

Estonia was already in an awesome frame of mind and he hadn't even left his house yet! Tonight he would be spending the evening with the mysterious and deep Netherlands, in Amsterdam. Whew. Netherlands had already asked him to spend the night, too! His bag was packed and he felt fantastic.

Of course, Estonia was not getting his, ah, sexual hopes up. He assumed that they would be partaking of Amsterdam's nightlife. That would probably befuddle him to the point where he couldn't get home tonight anyway. He was thankful for the overnight invitation. Amsterdam was one of the wildest cities in the world. He knew it would be a stunning evening, whether or not they actually started dating afterwards.

…

"Hey, Netherlands! Hi!" He held out his bouquet of cornflowers. Hadn't quite been sure whether someone like Netherlands would appreciate them, but he'd decided to make the gesture.

With a grunt his date nodded and took the flowers, gesturing him into the house. "Bel said you liked to give flowers."

Bel? Oh, Belgium. Right. "That was a great date," he mused, before remembering that Belgium was Netherlands' sister.

"Date?" The tall blond scowled at Estonia, but didn't speak further. He went to the kitchen, possibly to get a vase; Estonia put his mouth on severe lockdown while he reminisced about Belgium and her piggish chocolate-loving ways. He snorted a little with the memory, and Netherlands came back out.

"Where are we going tonight?"

"Downtown," his date replied with a secretive grin. "See how you like it."

"I'm sure we'll have fun."

The host nation nodded and took his hand, drawing him out of the house. _Yes!_

…

"Would you like to visit a museum before dinner? We wouldn't have much time but at least we could see a little."

Wow. That was possibly the longest phrase Estonia had ever heard his date say. He nodded. "Of course! I'm always interested in the culture of other countries."

Netherlands led him to the Rijksmuseum, still holding his hand. Together they wandered the halls, gazing at the newly-restored building as well. "Beautiful," Estonia breathed, paying more attention to the artworks than to his date. But it was a grand museum; he was certain that Netherlands would understand his distractions. He'd invite him to Tallinn, soon, to visit the Estonian museums.

"Dinner now?"

"Yes, thanks. Your city is lovely." It was certainly vibrant; there were pedestrians and cars all over the place. They waited at the corner for a light to change; he beamed. This was an amazing place!

"Lovely?"

"Ah, you know what I mean! It's loud and fun. Quite different from my home." But this contrast with his host's quiet nature led him to some introspection, so he didn't speak much on the way to the restaurant.

Netherlands led him to a restaurant called De Belhamel. Once again the visitor lost his breath, gazing at the dark and alluring interior, so evocative of a gentler time. The waiter seated them at a corner table, smiling, and Estonia grinned at his date. "This is so _nice_!" Though "nice" wasn't really a good enough word for this. "Striking," he decided. "You're a great date."

"Date?" Netherlands said again.

Estonia blushed and went for honesty. "W-well, yes. I – I'm working on my project to spend more time with all the nations," he explained earnestly, trying to stay calm, "but I always thought you were very handsome, and I suppose I got a little carried away thinking about spending time with you." Plus Netherlands had been holding his hand all evening.

His date smiled an enigmatic smile. "Okay."

And that was it? Boy, Estonia sometimes felt like he'd never, ever, get a grip on the social niceties of other nations. He grinned and picked up his water glass, now much more at ease. "Will you take me for a walk through the city later? Could we stop at one of the famous coffeeshops?" Dutch 'coffeeshops' were the places where marijuana was legally sold and consumed, he knew, not places to get coffee. Estonia hadn't had much experience with being high, and tonight would be the perfect opportunity, with someone as savvy as Netherlands squiring him around!

His date winked at him. _Winked_ at him! "Sure."

They began to discuss the menu, and Estonia was completely thrilled.

…

Outside afterwards, they joined hands again. Netherlands was not as taciturn as Norway, which was nice, but he was certainly no Prussia-level blabbermouth. This was also reassuring. Estonia tried not to babble to compensate for his date's long silences; they wandered to the city center mostly wrapped in comforting quiet.

"Listen." Netherlands bent down to Estonia. "Coffeeshops aren't supposed to sell to foreigners, but since you're with me tonight, it shouldn't be a problem." Estonia nodded. "Been high before?" his date asked.

"A few times. Not often, not recently."

"Okay. I'll take care of you." He smiled down at the Baltic nation, who blushed. Man, what a fun boyfriend he was going to be! Fun and caring, too. Ahead of them the neon sign for a coffeeshop flashed, so they entered.

The atmosphere was – well – it was exactly as Estonia would have pictured it, if he'd thought much about the ambience. Big, comfy chairs, dim lighting. Just like a bar, really. He allowed Netherlands to lead him to an overstuffed dark leather sofa, where they sat close together. Netherlands put his arm around Estonia and lit up a joint with his other hand.

"Huh? Don't you have to order it?" He was confused already.

"I carry it with me," Netherlands grunted, passing it to him.

Estonia took a toke of the joint, holding it in his lungs for a moment and handing it back. "I feel so daring," he giggled.

Netherlands took a deeper drag – but then, he was used to it – and smiled at him. "You're cute."

"Glad you think so!" He giggled again and took the joint.

They passed it back and forth until it was gone. Netherlands nodded at various patrons, or lost himself in reverie; Estonia excitedly waited for the drug to take effect.

"Another?" Netherlands asked, after a while.

"Sure!"

…

Half an hour later the only thing Estonia could think about was food. "Is there anything to eat here?"

"We just had dinner?"

The Baltic nation giggled. "I know, but I have – have the munchies," he laughed, leaning against his date.

Netherlands sighed. "Want some chocolate?"

Estonia burst into giggles again, thinking about Belgium and her chocolate. "Sure. Or crisps."

Netherlands shoved him upright and got off the couch, heading to the long bar, where he bought a few chocolate bars and a sandwich. "Sorry, no crisps."

Estonia grabbed the sandwich and began to maul it, making happy grunts as he chewed and swallowed. He was far too preoccupied with his food to notice his date's expression of resignation, and even if he _had_ noticed it, he probably wouldn't have been able to stop himself.

Seconds later, it seemed to him, the entire sandwich was gone. "Where'd it go?"

"You ate it all."

"Wow! That's so – wow. That was a _great sandwich._" He thought about this. "Now I'm thirsty."

"Can't get alcoholic drinks here."

"Oh! No, no, I mean water, or juice, or something. Please?" He leaned forward and batted his eyes at Netherlands before falling back onto the couch and laughing long, loud hoots of laughter.

Netherlands wordlessly brought him some soda.

"Thank you, thank you!" Estonia guzzled the soda, which made him burp, which made him laugh some more. "Thank you," he crooned again, swaying towards Netherlands, who put his arm around Estonia's shoulders. "Where's that chocolate?"

Netherlands held out a wrapped bar of Belgian chocolate; of course Estonia started laughing again. "What's funny about chocolate?"

"Ha ha! Well, when Belgium and I had our date, she took me to a chocolate factory, and she was a real pig! Stuffed her mouth full of chocolate, it was really funny." Wasn't there some reason he wasn't supposed to talk about Belgium, though?

Netherlands narrowed his eyes, but Estonia didn't see this. "Just like you stuffed your mouth full of sandwich?"

Estonia couldn't answer, because he'd smashed the entire chocolate bar into his mouth and was trying to chew it with the little leverage he had. He could tell his cheeks were all pooched out like a hamster's; this made him laugh and choke on the chocolate a little. Netherlands swatted him violently on the back.

"Mf. Wow. That was _good chocolate!_" Estonia snuggled up to Netherlands, licking his fingers clean, and then reached for his date's jacket pocket. Wasn't that where he'd stashed the rest of the chocolate bars?

Netherlands grabbed his wrist. "What are you doing?"

"Want more chocolate! Please?"

"Who's the pig now?" But he handed over a chocolate bar.

Many of the coffeeshop patrons were gazing on Estonia's antics, albeit with rather vague expressions of their own. He smiled back at all of them. This made him realize he might have been acting a little silly, so he very calmly and deliberately unwrapped the chocolate bar. He set it on his knee while he accurately folded the wrapper into smaller and smaller squares, aligning its edges with military precision. When it had been folded as small as he could get it, he set it on the arm of the couch with a beaming grin. "There."

Netherlands simply gestured to the chocolate bar, which had begun to melt onto his trouser leg. "Damn!" Estonia jumped up, knocking the rest of the chocolate to the floor, and started madly trying to brush the melted chocolate off his pants. He looked like a fool! Damn, damn, damn.

His date sighed, using a napkin to scoop up the chocolate. "Let's go for a walk," he suggested, tossing it in the trash.

"Okay! Fine!" Yes, it'd be nice, outside in the fresher air. Estonia hadn't realized what a smoker's fug was in this place. He took the host nation's hand and they went outside, with him tripping lightly along, while Netherlands walked in his usual no-nonsense manner.

"Feeling all right?"

Estonia took some deep breaths. "Yeah! Thanks." He smiled and snuggled up to his date, who scanned the area with a thoughtful expression.

"What do you want to do now?"

"Canal boat ride?" He batted his eyelashes at Netherlands; well, it had worked before.

"Sure." His date led him to a boat dock, where they embarked with a lot of other passengers. Netherlands drew him to the window, and they stood looking outside at the water.

Estonia noticed that the water was very sparkly. He liked it. Was the water at home this sparkly? He wished they could sit on the deck, so he could see it up close. The boat ride was very soothing, and the two of them didn't speak much, except when his date pointed out something interesting outside. Estonia nodded and tried to look wise, though his mind kept going back to the pretty, sparkly water.

When the boat ride was over and they were back on land, Estonia suddenly realized he felt exhausted, and said as much. "Thought so." Netherlands gestured to a cab and they got in, driving back to his house. The Baltic nation was very glad he had a place to stay tonight, and remembering the anticipation he'd had, about the coffeeshops and the drugs, he was very thankful that Netherlands had offered him a bed for the night.

He was so out of it that he didn't really realize it, when Netherlands put him in a spare room instead of sharing his own bed. In moments, Estonia was asleep, and all night long he dreamt of chocolate and sparkly water.

…

When he awakened in the morning he felt very refreshed. The sun streamed into his bedroom window. Examining the room he realized that it was a guest room; it had only a single bed, which was very comfortable. He stretched and smiled before getting up and going to look for Netherlands, to thank him for his very good care last night.

Still in his rumpled clothing, he washed up and walked downstairs to the kitchen. A note sat on the table, next to the windmill salt and pepper shakers:

THANKS FOR COMING OVER. LOTS OF WORK TODAY. HOPE YOU CAN GET HOME ALL RIGHT. SEE YOU AT THE NEXT MEETING.

From this impersonal note, Estonia guessed they weren't really dating. He wondered what he'd done last night to change that. Then he wondered whether he'd ever have the balls to ask. Probably not.

His shoulders slumped as he walked upstairs to shower and change. At least he'd gotten his high for the decade.

…

_Next: New Zealand. According to the wiki, NZ's gender is unknown in canon. This could be a very interesting date!_


	28. A Very, Very Confusing Date

**A Very, Very Confusing Date.**

Estonia was busy cleaning his house when the phone rang. Damn! He didn't have time for this. New Zealand was coming over for a date tonight, and he wanted the place to be spotless for her.

"Hello?"

"Estonia? Hi, it's Lithuania."

"Oh. How are you?"

"I'm fine. Listen, Poland suddenly had this idea for a dinner party tonight. Can you make it?"

Estonia grinned. He was quite thankful that he had a date, now. "Can't. Sorry. I have a date with New Zealand." Well, maybe it was imprudent to brag about it this early, but if it got him out of one of Poland's bizarre parties –

"That'll be fun. I hope you take good care of him."

Estonia froze. "Uh? New Zealand, I said. Not Sealand."

"That's who I thought you said. New Zealand. Down near Australia? He's a lot of fun."

"Ah, uh, uh," he panicked, "Lithuania, why do you keep calling her 'him'?"

There was a flat silence on the other end of the phone, and then: "Estonia, New Zealand is a man! Well, a young man, but a man." Poland started shouting something in the background. "Hold on." In a moment he was back. "Now _I'm_ confused. Poland says he's totally a girl!"

Someone else started yelling; Estonia simply stood there, holding onto the phone receiver, in shock.

"Latvia thinks he's a guy."

"Well, that's two for, two against," Estonia laughed, still not quite processing this. Then, when he did, he exploded. "Damn, Lithuania, how am I going to find out for sure? I can't go on a date with someone whose gender I don't even know. I'll be afraid to speak!"

"I don't know. Bring him to Poland's party? Then we can all help you find out."

Hah, that made sense, but now he had to go to the stupid party! "If she's in a dress, we're not coming," Estonia snapped, furious at having been manipulated into this.

But Lithuania began laughing happily. "That's no indicator at all, Estonia, none at all!"

"Fine," he eventually said, when his friend began to calm down. "We'll come to Poland's party if, and I do mean _if_, I can't discern her gender when she gets here."

"_His_ gender, Estonia! Ha ha!"

…

The rest of the housecleaning went to hell in a handbasket as Estonia paced, muttered to himself, spent time looking things up on the internet. England! England would probably know, right? Or Australia. He thought back to that bizarre date with Australia. No, he couldn't call him and ask something like that, but he could ask England. Surely the island nation would be calm enough to help him out. He frantically dialed the number of the London townhouse.

"Hello, this is Arthur Kirkland speaking. I'm off on a cruise, and so I am unable to take your telephone call. Please leave a message, or call me back after the 4th of September. Bye!"

"Damn!" he shouted, before slamming down the phone. Now what?

Well, it was true, he hadn't come up with any date plans. And he had already made up his mind, after Hong Kong, not to go sleeping with anyone on the first date. So he doubted there would be too much of a problem, unless Poland started getting stupid with the questions. Estonia would be a gentleman.

He stood up straight. He'd prevent Poland from pestering his date, oh yes. And he'd find out, somehow, whether New Zealand was a man or a woman.

…

By the time the doorbell rang he was in a much calmer frame of mind. He'd come up with some gender-neutral phrases; he'd decided to treat New Zealand as a woman. The reasoning was that he wouldn't be uncomfortable accidentally telling a man he looked beautiful (well, he might, a little), but he'd feel damn silly telling a woman she was handsome!

Of course, if New Zealand looked unattractive, he'd just keep his mouth shut.

The doorbell rang. Estonia tripped and fell on his way to answer it, with the result that he was red-faced and out of breath when he opened the door. "Hi," he said with a nervous smile. New Zealand looked adorable in her signature red and black jacket and pants. "Please come in. I've really been looking forward to our date." Oh, god, he was going to have to monitor every single word that came out of his mouth!

"I'm glad you asked me." The voice was soft, but not obviously feminine. "Australia told me you were fun to hang out with."

"Th-that's nice? Yes, it is," he decided, having checked the sentence before and after speaking. "I, ah, didn't have any actual plans, and we've – we've been invited to a dinner party at Poland's place. Will that be all right?"

"Sure. I like Poland. He has some nice outfits." Then he or she glanced down at the red and black clothing. "Am I dressed all right?"

"Yes, you look – fine," Estonia waffled. "Poland's more about the party, and less about how anyone looks."

"Oh, good. All right, then. Let's go?"

Estonia offered his arm, and New Zealand took it, though that was no real indicator either.

On the way there, he was in a frenzy, trying to think of neutral conversational topics but also wanting to get to know his date better. "How are things at your place?" he decided. "Nation things."

"Oh, fine. The weather's fine, economy's good. There's not really much exciting or different going on at the moment."

And that was the end of that.

Estonia desultorily asked a few more questions, scanning them mentally before speaking; New Zealand answered them, but the blond was afraid to go too in-depth with his conversation.

Luckily the trip to Poland's didn't take long. When Estonia rang the doorbell he heard a flurry of noise behind the door, and then it opened to show not only a red-dress-clad Poland, but Lithuania, Latvia, Russia, Belarus and Sealand all standing there. "H-hi," he managed, quailing under Russia's unnerving eye. Oh, he hoped he wouldn't turn into a trembling mass of spineless jelly just because Russia was here! What a way to impress a date.

But everyone was staring at New Zealand; obviously Poland had briefed them about the confusion. "Hey, like, come in. You're totally the last ones to get here." The host stood back, forcing everyone behind him to move. "You look great, New Zealand," Poland added.

"Thank you! I hadn't known we were coming to a party or I'd have dressed up more."

"That's, like, all right. I'm just happy that everyone was totally able to come on such short notice."

Estonia grabbed Lithuania by the collar and hissed, "You invited _Russia?_"

"Don't blame me! Latvia babbled about it and Russia decided to invite himself! And then Belarus tagged along."

"Someday I'm going to kill that kid," Estonia grumbled.

"Your date is a boy," Lithuania laughed in response_._

By now everyone was in the main hall, and Poland poured wine for the two newest guests. "Well? _Na zdrowie!_"

Everyone offered a variation on "Cheers" as they drank the toast. "Is this party in honor of anything specific, Poland?" Estonia wondered. "A national celebration or something?"

"Nope, like, not at all. I just got these new shoes and wanted to show them off, so a party totally seemed like a great idea. Plus Liet and I didn't have, like, a single thing to do tonight." He held up the hem of the dress and waggled his foot around to show off the shoes.

"Brother, why does Poland have better shoes than you or me?" Belarus asked.

Estonia drew New Zealand further back from those two.

"I do not know? Perhaps Poland should give me some of his beautiful shoes, da?"

"Ah ha ha, you know they totally wouldn't fit your big feet, Russia!"

Estonia sucked in his breath. It always amazed him how willing Poland was to taunt Russia. He could feel himself beginning to tremble and he could see that Lithuania and Latvia were both a little nervous too. To combat this he blurted out, "May I show New Zealand around the house?"

"Yeah, like, all right. Make sure you show, uh, make sure you go into the Hall of Mirrors! Sh—show, ah, totally show New Zealand the whole place!" Poland collapsed into a chair, giggling wildly, and Lithuania poured him another glass of wine. Estonia took advantage of this to spirit New Zealand out of that room. He was pretty worried now. Poland was going to be silly all night, trying not to explicitly assign a gender to New Zealand.

"Sorry," he whispered. "Russia and Belarus make me nervous."

"Oh. Okay, I'll try to remember that." New Zealand gripped his arm. "I don't know them well."

As they walked towards the Hall of Mirrors, Estonia explained about the time period he'd spent under Russia's roof. Since it was a safe topic, not in any way connected with the guesswork of his date's gender, he embellished the story with a lot of details, and tried to make it as visual for her as he could. He was quite gratified when New Zealand shivered and held him more tightly during the scary parts.

In the Hall of Mirrors his date let go and wandered dreamily down the parquet floor, admiring either the ornate mirrors themselves, or his own reflection in them. "Europe has such beautiful art history. Sometimes I think my country's too rustic."

"Maybe I can come see it sometime. I've spent a lot of time reading about it." Though if he didn't manage to solve the mystery tonight, that would just mean another date of panic and frustration. Hm.

"I don't mind." Before New Zealand could speak further, the rest of the party guests tumbled into the Hall of Mirrors, and Estonia could see from the thinly-veiled snickers that all of them were on a mission. Oh, he did _not_ want them to embarrass his date! He'd have to shut them up, even if – if – if it meant standing up to R-R-Russia and B-Belarus…

"So, New Zealand," Belarus then smirked. "You should see Poland's fabulous lounges. He hosts a lot of parties, and he has a beautiful ladies' lounge and a very clublike men's lounge."

Estonia wanted to sink into the floor. He clasped his date's hand.

"Oh, yeah!" Sealand yelled. "It's a very manly lounge!" He burst into giggles and Latvia elbowed him.

New Zealand, Estonia could tell, was trying to be polite. So he jumped into the conversation. "We were going to take a walk around the gardens." He headed towards the big French doors leading in that direction, tugging the brunet none-too-gently by the hand.

"I love Poland's gardens," Latvia nodded. "I'll come. Come on, Sea, let's go with them." Sealand said nothing, but continued to giggle.

They made their escape. "Don't walk with us," Estonia hissed to Latvia. "Take Sealand somewhere else."

Latvia reddened. "Okay! I don't want to hear any of that love talk like you had with Hong Kong, anyway!" he blurted out, grabbing Sealand's hand and running to the other end of the gardens.

Estonia was angry and embarrassed by this point. He first checked to make sure none of the other nations were around, and then he calmly took New Zealand's hands and apologized. "They are all very intrusive into other people's lives, except Lithuania. I'm really sorry."

"Maybe we should go," his date suggested. "You're clearly uncomfortable, and that makes me a little worried."

He smiled weakly. "Thanks. I – I think I'd like to go. This whole date is too weird." Whoops. He hoped New Zealand wouldn't take that the wrong way. "I – I mean, the party, the comments, and everything."

"I understand, Estonia. Yes, let's make our excuses and leave. I – I can say I don't feel well, or something?"

But it wouldn't be nice of Estonia to allow his date to take the heat. "I'll do it. You just – just back me up, all right? And please ignore any of their stupid commentary."

New Zealand nodded. "Okay. Let's go find Poland."

"I'd rather find Lithuania, but I agree, we should officially tell Poland."

They went back into the house and searched all over until they found the host and his other guests in the library. "Estonia, you can't, like, keep hiding your date away. It's totally impolite."

"I'm sorry," he said, ignoring that. "We're not feeling well, and I'm going to escort New Zealand home." He could feel himself blushing, but managed not to stammer, mostly by avoiding the gazes of Russia and his demonic sister.

Everyone but Lithuania smirked at that. "Like, suit yourself," Poland said airily, flapping a hand towards the front door. "See ya." With that he turned back to his other guests, who completely ignored Estonia and his date.

Lithuania came to the door with them. "Sorry," he whispered, but not without surreptitiously giving New Zealand the once-over. "I shouldn't have pressured you into coming."

"It's all right. Thanks. Take care, and stay away from Russia." Estonia could still feel himself trembling as he gripped New Zealand's hand.

"Okay. See you at the next meeting. Bye, New Zealand!" They shook hands. "See you soon."

"Goodbye. Thank you for inviting us."

Lithuania closed the door and Estonia practically ran down the front path to get away. When they reached the corner, out of breath, he stopped. "I'm really so sorry. I'm just so nervous around Russia. Belarus too."

"I understand. Why don't we go back to your home?" New Zealand smiled kindly at him, and he nodded.

"Thank you."

…

Back at Estonia's place he offered tea, but New Zealand surprised him. "I'm sorry, Estonia. I've been thinking about it all the way back here, and I think I'll be heading home."

"What? Why?" Oh, _now_ what? He mentally scanned all their conversation and couldn't remember saying anything stupid…

"It's like this. I'm not very familiar with Russia or Belarus, but I'm astonished that you could be so nervous and trembling in front of them, with a date! I like to have fun at parties, no matter who's there. And I understand how you feel about Russia, after what you told me tonight, but I don't think I want to keep dating you and have you panic and freeze every time we run into someone you don't like. I'm so sorry. Other than that you've been very attentive, which is nice. England said you were a nice guy, and he was right, but…I just don't think I can deal with that."

Estonia began to argue. "But I'm only like that around Russia! I never get like that with anybody else!" And then he realized that he'd at least be off the hook, gender-wise, if they didn't date anymore. He blew out a loud breath and waited for New Zealand to speak.

"I understand, but…I still think it's better if we don't continue." He, or possibly she, stood on tiptoe to give Estonia a little kiss on the cheek. "Thank you for taking care of me tonight."

"You're welcome." He'd calmed down already. They walked to the front door together. "Well, I did have a nice time with you, at least. I hope you don't feel it was a waste of your time?"

"Of course not. Thank you again, Estonia." New Zealand left, and he watched that slender figure walk away before closing the door. Stupid Russia. He knew it would take a very long time to push those memories into the background. Hopefully whoever he ended up with could understand that.

Estonia made himself the promised cup of tea, now thinking about the white rose giver, and eventually went up to his cold and lonely bed.

…

_Next: Romania. Their date will take place at Romano's Halloween party._


	29. A Frightening Date

**A Frightening Date.**

Estonia spent a long time after that New Zealand date rethinking the plan. For one thing, he'd already dated Norway; Poland and Prussia were both taken. This meant Romania was next on the list. But back on that day when they'd all gone to the inflatables park, America had asked Estonia questions about him. The hero had wanted to date Romania.

Were they in a relationship? A world meeting came and went, with no particular excitement, and while he saw America gazing longingly at the fanged nation, they were pretty obviously not dating. Either they'd dated briefly and broken up, or America hadn't gotten his nerve up yet to ask. Well, ha ha! If America was too slow to take advantage, then Estonia definitely would ask.

Romano was hosting a Halloween party. Estonia knew that Romania would be a _perfect_ Halloween date. He asked him to be his party date, Romania said yes, and they agreed to meet, in costume, at Romania's, before venturing together to the party.

Estonia wondered what his date's costume would be. Perhaps a vampire? That would be a very obvious choice, though. Maybe he'd go with something more unusual. The Baltic nation chose to dress up as a black cat. He bought a very furry sweater and hat with cat ears, and painted some whiskers on his face. He had also bought leather mittens and slippers to match; black wool pants with a fake fur cat tail completed the ensemble.

As he stood before the mirror, checking out the costume, he felt optimistic. Romania was really fun, he knew, and it would be very amusing to score that nation as a boyfriend when America had failed to do so! Hah. Too bad he had to wear his glasses. They detracted from the costume somewhat. But it would not be a problem.

He hurried to Romania's place, whistling "My Fatherland, My Happiness and Joy."

…

The gloomy Gothic mansion was situated on a hill deep in a forest, with a wide and rambling tree-covered path as the approach. Fallen leaves and twigs crunched under his feet, and every time a twig snapped, he jumped. The moon was full. It was a very spooky atmosphere, and he was exceedingly glad that Romania wasn't hosting the party! He'd be an expert at spooky stuff. _Too_ expert.

Estonia felt kind of nervous while walking up to the door. The home was totally dark. M-maybe Romania had already gone to the party? Maybe he didn't feel well and didn't want to go? But the Baltic nation made himself walk up and use the ghoulish door knocker, heavily banging once, twice, three times, hearing the echo of it deep inside the house. While he waited, he took off his hat and began twisting it in his hands.

A grinning Romania answered the door bearing a single lit candle in a brass candlestick holder, enhancing the creepy atmosphere. He was dressed as a – "A _bunny?_" Estonia stammered, instead of greeting his date. Instead of just painting whiskers on, Romania had done a full face paint, and that fang looked strangely appropriate. Like an evil bunny. Estonia shivered.

"Hey, you look great! I guess you have a hat or something? We'll be so cute together. Come inside and let me finish dressing. I just need to find my bunny tail." His costume was also black. Gloomy. No; Estonia shook his head. Not gloomy. Cute. Yes. Definitely cute.

Then to his shock Romania grabbed him and kissed him. Not a sexy kiss, or a romantic one, just a – a kind of enthusiastic greeting. Estonia was too stunned to kiss back. Wow. Maybe this date would be more interesting than he'd thought. No wonder America wanted Romania!

When the tail was in place Romania turned back. "Oh. I smudged your whiskers a little when I kissed you. What did you use to make them?"

"Greasepaint."

"Oh. Yeah, you should wash that off and use this smudgeproof stuff I have. It's going to be warm at the party and you don't want your makeup running all over!"

"That's pretty smart. Where is the stuff?"

Romania showed him to a big bathroom. "Don't take too long, though," he laughed, patting Estonia on the bottom. "We don't want to be late."

"Pfft. I'll hurry." Estonia turned on the faucet and prepared to wash his face.

A kisser, huh? And a toucher, too. He really hadn't expected this from the fanged nation. But it would be fun; Romania was clearly into the spirit of things already.

When his whiskers had been smudgeproofed and his cat-ear hat placed on his head, they set out for Romano's place. "I heard he never gives parties," Romania admitted. "I'm really worried. Is he a lame host or something?"

"Hah." Estonia had never been invited to a party at Romano's either. "I don't even know. I can't remember him ever hosting a party before. Maybe England pressured him into it. Well, if it's no good, we can leave."

"Oh, no. I never leave parties, even if they _are_ bad. Because I can make them better! It's my duty to help make a bad party good, or a good party better. You didn't come to my New Year's party, I know."

"No, I went to Greece's. I was tired of the winter weather and a warm New Year's sounded like a really nice idea."

"Was it a good party? I'd expect Greece's parties to be kind of, well…" His voice drifted off.

"Yeah," Estonia laughed. "It was, a little, but everyone else started getting a little crazy, which livened things up."

"Bet _he's_ dressed as a cat, too."

"I bet you're right!"

"Oh, you're going to have so much fun tonight," Romania then said.

"What about you? I hope you are."

"Like I said, I love all parties. No big."

It took some time, once they reached Rome, to get to the front door of Romano's home. The place was packed with nations in costumes. Packed! Estonia saw Japan, Germany and Veneziano huddled together on the porch and waved, receiving only a weak "ve" and a wave from the blond. Those three were also dressed as animals: a squirrel, a big blond wolf, and a chipmunk. "Cute costumes, so far, but wow, this is nuts!"

"Well, if, as you say, he never gives parties, then probably everyone's curious about it. I know he gets really cute when he's drunk."

Estonia tripped over the doorstep; Romania caught him by the wrist and steadied him. "_Cute?_ Romano?" Maybe Romania had him mixed up with someone else?

"Yeah, they were at my party, and he got very sweet and affectionate and giggly. It really was cute."

The Baltic nation was now convinced that Romania was thinking of some other nation. He took his date's fur-gloved hand in his mittened one.

"You dumb Viking bastard," they heard from in the direction of the kitchen. "Don't come in here wearing that stupid showgirl costume. You'll get feathers in the zabaglione!"

"But Romano…"

"Out, out, out! You too, Lady Albino Potato."

"Kesesese! Don't yell at me. I was born this way."

"Shut up and _get out_, dammit!"

Estonia received an elbow in the ribs from his date. "Not drunk yet," Romania laughed gleefully. "But you'll see."

America (dressed as some kind of reptile) started to approach them, but upon catching Estonia's eye he frowned and backed away. "Oops."

"Oops what?"

The Baltic nation was feeling good, and pretty secure, so he allowed himself to tell his date "America wanted to date you; I guess he's mad at me for snagging you tonight." He kissed Romania on the cheek. Normally he wasn't such a showoff, but – wow!

A hired caterer went by with a tray of drinks and they each took one. "America? Interested in me?" The bunny nation seemed somewhat wistful.

"But you're dating me tonight," Estonia reminded him.

"Yeah, I know." But his voice was quiet.

Someone in a mouse costume brushed past them; Estonia couldn't see who it was. "Look at all the animals," he said in amazement, as Romania pulled him off to the side of the room.

"It really is a zoo in here! Ha ha! Look, China in a panda costume."

"Pretty predictable." This reminded Estonia of his musings at home. "I thought maybe you'd dress as a vampire." He felt himself blushing.

But Romania laughed and laughed; when he got his breath back, he told his nervous date, "That's not really a _costume_!" He squeezed Estonia's hand.

Wh-what? Romania kept laughing, and the Baltic nation tried to join in, but he was distinctly creeped out by that.

Luckily Ukraine was trying to press through the crowd and this distracted him. She looked adorable, dressed as a beer hall waitress with a dirndl and blond braids wig, and when she reached them, she offered a nervous smile. "It's very packed in here," she apologized, trying to fit her body through a small gap between Estonia and someone in a Cheshire Cat costume. "Please excuse me."

Estonia gallantly tried to move away for her to pass; even so, she was forced up against him by the crowd. "Sorry," he said, though it really wasn't his fault.

"It – it's all right, Estonia," she replied breathlessly, finally squeezing through the space and vanishing into the crowd.

He felt Romania bump him and turned to see him waving madly at someone in a black and white dog costume across the room. Bulgaria. That nation offered them a little wave and nod before turning and heading out of the room. Oh, right. Those two were good friends. Maybe he hadn't been able to get a date because Estonia had asked Romania first?

Forget Bulgaria! Estonia and Romania were going to have a great time.

…

Hours later the party was in full swing. Estonia (just a little tipsy) thanked Romania over and over for suggesting he ditch the greasepaint; in a melee like this he knew it would have become smudged and unattractive. Latvia's duck costume had become half undone; he and Sealand (a robot) were running around terrorizing everyone, and Estonia needed some fresh air. "Will you come outside with me?"

"Sure." They pushed through the raucous crowds to the door.

On the relative sanctuary of the front porch, tucked into an isolated corner, both of them stood panting a little, gulping deep breaths of the cool Rome night air. "Wow, this is fun but crazy," Estonia finally said. "No worries about it being a bad party."

"I know. Hah. Even Cameroon is here, and he almost never comes to these things."

Estonia hadn't run into that nation yet. "Cuba, too," he realized. "Who's _not_ here?"

Romania thought. "Haven't seen Cyprus yet," he eventually shrugged. "Did you hear Turkey?"

"Pfft. How could you _not_ hear him? He's louder than Prussia!" They chuckled together. "I'm having a great time. Thank you again for being my date."

"Happy to help out," the fanged nation replied absently.

Hong Kong and Korea chose that moment to come out onto the porch and look around. Estonia froze, and so did they, and then Korea began laughing and laughing. Hong Kong punched him in the arm and escaped down the front steps. "Ow, Hong Kong, wait, da ze!" Still laughing, his friend followed, rubbing his arm.

Estonia bit his lip and turned back to his date. "Everybody's drunk," he hazarded. He didn't want to have to explain what all that had been about.

But Romania seemed to sense it was not a topic for discussion. "Ready to go back in?"

"Yes, but I think I'm going to leave the hat and mittens out here. I can scoop them up when we leave."

"That's a great idea." Romania too took off his excess gear. "I don't think anybody cares much anymore." They stashed it on a porch chair and slipped back inside, passing France and Spain who were dressed as pirates and heading for the cool night air.

"You're adorable, _cher_ Estonia." France patted him on the head_. _

Oh, dear. He hoped France wasn't looking for a playmate. "Th-thanks," he stammered, scurrying inside with Romania hot on his heels.

Back inside, people had begun to split into small conversational groups. "Hey, there's Romano. We should at least thank him for inviting us." They hadn't had a chance to get near the host yet.

"Okay." Romania led the way through the crowds until they reached Romano and England, who leaned against the wall near the fireplace.

"Enjoying the party?" the island nation asked. He and Romano were both dressed as cats, too, the fur of the costumes matching their hair color, and they both had little collars on. How cute.

"Everyone's enjoying my party," Romano giggled, cuddling up to England and patting his cheek. "Aren't they, cat bastard?"

"See what I mean?" Romania hissed, jabbing Estonia with an elbow.

The Baltic nation must have seemed very stunned, because England started laughing at him. "Don't worry about it, mate. Enjoy the silence." He patted Romano on the cheek, too, and pulled him close; the host threw his arms around the blond's neck and hugged him.

"Such a pretty kitty," he cooed, nestling his head under England's chin.

"Well, ah, thanks for inviting us!" Estonia blurted out. This was almost embarrassing.

"Take a tour of the place," England suggested. "Not often he throws it open for people to explore."

Romano giggled again, waggling an admonitory finger at them. "Just stay out of the master bedroom, bastards!" He then began to tickle the hair at the nape of England's neck; the island nation laughed, and Estonia and Romania made a run for it.

"Wow. That is – unbelievable. No wonder he doesn't drink much."

"Forget him. Let's go explore."

They wandered off, pushing past others, and headed upstairs. It was indeed a beautiful home, less crowded up here, and they dutifully oohed and aahed at all the striking Italian art and architecture.

Estonia wondered whether his date might try anything while they were near the bedrooms, but somehow he couldn't see them getting sexy with each other while dressed as a bunny and a cat! "Ready to go back down?" he eventually asked.

"I need the rest room. Wait here for me, and we can go down together. Otherwise I might never find you! Ha ha."

"Sure." Estonia shrugged and leaned back against the wall. Romania ducked into the bathroom at the end of the hallway and shut the door.

Suddenly all the lights in the house went out. Estonia stayed calm, breathing deeply, though he could hear squeals and the sound of panicking nations below; someone smashed a glass, and Romano (shocked out of his drunken happy place) began to curse loudly in Italian.

Estonia was glad that Romano was not available for his spreadsheet experiment.

Then his heart leapt into his throat as he felt a hand on his shoulder, someone's warm lips near his. "Eh?" he tried to say. He knew Romania hadn't come out of the bathroom yet! What the – _what_? "Mf?"

The kiss ended quickly. "Happy Halloween," an anonymous voice whispered, warm breath tickling his ear. Something sharp was pressed into his hand. He sensed the other person drawing away and heard footsteps thundering down the staircase. Wh-what had just happened? Some mad kissing maniac was running around the party attacking people? And what was this thing in his hand?

The lights came back on and he glanced around wildly but saw no one. Then he raised his hand up to see what was in it.

A white rose.

Estonia felt faint. The rose giver had k-kissed him! Here in the dark! He leaned against the wall again and took some deep breaths, trying to recover. His mind was racing, his blood as well. Maybe if he hurried downstairs –

Ah, but his date was still in the rest room. It would be completely ill-mannered (_unheroic_, as America would say) to rush off and abandon Romania, on the off chance that he could figure out who had kissed him. Who could it have been? He kept craning his neck to peer down the stairs.

Romania came out of the bathroom and smiled. "Everything okay? I saw the lights went out while I was in there. I guess he's just drawing too much power tonight."

"Y-yes," Estonia managed to say, sounding almost normal. "Everything seems to be fine."

"Cool. Let's go back downstairs."

They did go back down, but Estonia had completely lost his focus. He held the rose cupped in one hand, his arm hanging limp at his side. With his free hand he picked up another drink absently, staring around at all the other guests, seeking a clue. But as before, when the person had dropped a rose on the restaurant table during the blackout, Estonia felt certain that the shy nation would have fled the room – or maybe even fled the party – immediately. He set the untouched drink on a table. What to do with the rose? He didn't have a buttonhole. In the end he just kept holding it, trying to see which nations might have left already. But a lot of them were gone by now, and some might simply be outside, getting fresh air. He couldn't possibly guess.

"Feeling all right?" Romania put the back of his hand to Estonia's forehead.

"Just a little – a little discombobulated. I think the quiet of the upstairs shook me out of my party frame of mind."

Romania smiled kindly. "I know how that can be. Want to go home? I don't mind. It's been a really fun party and I got to see drunk Romano! Always a treat."

Estonia laughed a little. "Yes, let's go." Together they made their excuses to the no-longer-giggly host and his friends, and left.

…

The Baltic nation was not very communicative on the way back to Romania's place. His mind whirled in circles. Foremost amongst the panicked thoughts was what to do about Romania. They'd had a lot of fun tonight! Everyone had seemed happy to see them together (well, ha ha, everyone except America), and right up until he'd spotted the rose in his hand he'd been optimistic about their possible future together as boyfriends.

And now all he could think about was how bold the mystery nation was becoming. Maybe soon –

"You think America really wanted to date me?" Romania asked at one point, after a long lull.

"It was after that inflatables park thing. He was asking me all kinds of questions about you, but I didn't know you well, so I couldn't tell him much."

"He's – pretty cute, I have to admit."

Estonia narrowed his eyes. Was Romania going to dump him for America? But then, he'd just been thinking about dumping Romania, too.

They finished the rest of the journey in silence. "Heading for home?"

"I think I will," Estonia sighed. "It'll be more comfortable to wash all this makeup off and sleep in my own bed. I'll give you a call?" He needed to do some serious thinking.

"Sure, just as you like. I'm glad I didn't have to go alone to the party."

"Me too," Estonia smiled, shaking his hand. "Thank you."

…

_Next: Seychelles._

_America is dressed as a Gila monster; Bulgaria as a Karakachan dog; the mouse nation was Canada. I briefly thought of making either Prussia or Denmark dress as a mink, but decided they probably wouldn't like that._


	30. A Ridiculous Date

**A Ridiculous Date.**

If Estonia ever did find out who this annoying white rose nation was, he was going to give that nation a piece of his mind! Three months after Halloween and he was still alone and furious. He and Romania had mutually agreed that they would date others; Romania had almost immediately snagged America, and the two of them had been acting like delirious lovesick fools at the last two meetings. Well, Estonia was happy for them. Mostly.

By contrast, he'd kept himself notably alone, not even talking to any other nations much, accessible and open…and no one had approached him. Two meetings, a Christmas alone, and nothing. This shy nation was infuriating.

So he'd decided to keep going with the spreadsheet and ask the beautiful Seychelles for a date. See how the mystery nation liked that idea, hah!

During the Ukraine-conducted meeting he barely paid attention to her fumbling presentations at all, instead alternating between irritation at the rose giver and interest in Seychelles. Finally, _finally_ the meeting ended. He made his way to the dark-haired island nation and calmly asked her for a date, even though there were still a lot of others in the room.

Seychelles nodded and suggested he come to her room in an hour. "We can get room service for dinner, get to know each other a little better, and then I – I have something I need to do tonight, that you can help me with?" She smiled sweetly.

Warning bells went off in his head (he hoped this wouldn't be like his date with Norway), but he agreed to do it. He'd just have to be prepared.

…

"Please come in," she said, holding the door open. Seychelles had changed into a flowered silk dress which draped attractively around her shapely body.

"You don't have a roommate?" he wondered, still on his guard.

"Not this time. That's why I need your help for my project." She gestured to the chairs at the little table and picked up a room service menu.

"Project" sounded a lot more clinical than hopping into bed, so Estonia felt relieved. He sat and picked up the other menu.

Once they'd ordered, he thanked her for agreeing to spend time together. "I know you like to spend time with, ah, France, and England, so it was pleasant for you to take time for me."

"They're both so busy these days, although they do still drop by from time to time." She sat at the table with her hands crossed, an earnest expression on her face. "Now, about my project. It's become important for me to hold a séance every month to check on the well-being of all my people."

"S-_séance_?" Estonia wasn't even sure he'd heard right.

"Yes. Staying in touch with the occult is the best way I know to watch over the people of my country, being as far-flung as they are. But I need a second person with me; I can't do it alone, and nobody else was available. So I'm glad you asked." Room service knocked at the door and she hastened to open it, oblivious to Estonia's rising mirth.

A séance! He'd bet even the spooky Romania didn't have séances anymore. That was so _eighteenth century._ Estonia knew he could get through this, and he'd do it, to help her out, but…pfft. She was off the list, for sure.

Seychelles and the server put the dishes on the table; after she tipped him, the blushing young man left. Seychelles reseated herself and they began to serve the food.

"What makes you interested in the occult, anyway?" he wondered. "I didn't think either France or England was particularly into that."

"Oh, they both have been, at times. It's a pretty old part of my heritage." Seychelles dimpled as she smiled at him; relaxing, Estonia felt himself smile back. "I did a Tarot card reading before you got here."

Now he was taken aback. "A-about me?"

"Yes. I always check the cards before I spend time alone with someone." She smirked a little. "Don't you want to know what the reading said?"

"I guess." He tried to be nonchalant. He didn't really believe in this stuff. On the other hand –

"The cards tell me that nothing unexpected will happen tonight, and that I am in no danger from you." She speared a piece of calamari on her fork and flourished it before eating it with a grin.

"Pfft." He couldn't repress that little snicker. "I could have told you that without your cards. I'm not a dangerous nation."

"Yes, so it would seem." Her voice immediately went from playful to somber. "That may be the case, but for tonight, all I need you to do is hold my hands and concentrate while we perform the séance."

Right, well, he was committed to this stupid "project," so he'd better get with the program. "What exactly do we do?"

"I'll black out the room – I have special black opaque curtains I bring to every meeting to make sure the room is totally dark – and light one special candle on the table. Sometimes I light incense. Do you object to incense?"

"I have no problems with it."

"Good, then I'll light some. The spirits are always fond of the extra ambience." Seychelles finished her meal and pushed the plates aside.

Estonia continued eating. "Spirits? What happens after you light the incense?"

"I do a mystic chant, and then my spirit guide talks to me from the Other Side."

He could almost hear the capital letters. "Your – your _spirit guide_?" He began to wonder just which other nations had had to help out with this silly project over the years.

"Yes. Please don't snicker, Estonia." She frowned at him.

Had he been snickering? He'd better focus. He wouldn't want her – her _spirit guide_ to put a curse on him! Ha ha. "Sorry."

"Just because you may not believe in the occult doesn't mean it's not real." She waved at his plate. "Hurry up and finish eating. The table needs to be cleared for my crystal ball."

Whoo. At this point the only thing he wanted to do was finish eating and leave. But he'd committed to this. "Won't it go wrong if your helper is a non-believer?"

"No," she snapped, clearing away her plates and some of his. "Monaco often helps me, and she doesn't believe in this at all." This time Seychelles snorted, daintily. "The only thing she believes in is cold, hard cash."

Wasn't that the truth. Estonia nodded and got up to put his empty plates on the dresser. "Do you need help with the blackout curtains?"

"No, I've got a special rig that lets me set them up with just a few snaps. Go wash your hands. The spirits don't like dirty folk calling on them."

Estonia escaped into her little bathroom and stuffed a fist in his mouth, holding back the laughter. This was the craziest date he'd ever been on! Then he used the bathroom and washed his hands – didn't want to anger those spirits – and went back out into the room, which was now completely black but for the single blue-flamed candle on the table. Seychelles' shadow danced crazily on the wall behind her as the candle flame flickered and leaped.

"Sit down, please."

He did so, reaching to take her hands; now he smelled the incense, which she must have lit while he was in the bathroom. He took a deep breath; it smelled familiar, and somehow melancholy.

Seychelles had warm hands, slender and supple. He turned them over in his, smiling, and she squeezed his hands angrily. "Focus, please."

"Ahem. Yes. What do I need to focus on?"

"Please try to keep your mind open. Just – think of nothing at all, and allow the winds of the Other World to blow through your mind."

Estonia very quickly squeezed his eyes shut. Think of nothing at all? That was hard. Self-help gurus were always saying things like that; he'd never really felt himself able to achieve it. But he tried.

He heard Seychelles' rhythmic chanting, low and mellifluous as she spoke the arcane syllables. "Open your eyes," she whispered, during a lull, so he did.

The Baltic nation almost cried out in shock; the room was bright, with much more light than one candle could provide. Dazed, he noticed the crystal ball was glowing brightly. Or was it a trick of his imagination, because his eyes had been shut? The candle making his night vision go crazy?

Seychelles kept his hands in hers as she peered into the crystal ball. "Oh, mighty Dark Feather, please hear my plea; tell me how the people of my country are doing."

Estonia held his breath, waiting. He wondered whether he would hear the answer of her spirit guide (this Dark Feather fellow, he supposed), or whether the guide spoke to Seychelles inside her own head. He closed his eyes again in the silence and waited.

"_All is well_," a deep voice boomed out. Estonia flinched and his eyes flew open; he jerked his hands away from Seychelles, but her grip was like iron. Where had the voice come from? _"Nothing has changed since you left the country."_

This time watched specifically to see if her mouth moved. He couldn't tell; the shadows were bouncing around too much. But that voice…it was not her normal voice, and if he could have thought clearly through the terror that was beginning to freeze his blood, he'd have bet she couldn't change her voice that much.

She spoke again. "Have there been any weather disturbances?"

"_None whatsoever. I tell you there's nothing to worry about."_

Despite his fear Estonia repressed a chuckle at that.

"Thank you, Dark Feather. You may depart to the peace of the Other Side."

And that was it. Seychelles let go of his hands, blew out the candle, and tugged on the blackout curtains until they collapsed in a heap on the floor. Estonia sat at the table, bemused, his mind a whirl. Had he seriously been listening to ghostly voices from beyond? He shook his head, trying to get his brain aligned with reality again.

"I – I'm glad there's nothing wrong in your country," he croaked out, trying to rise. Why were his knees so jellylike? Estonia braced his hands on the small table.

Seychelles was already done putting away the séance materials. "Thank you again for your help," she told him matter-of-factly. "Do you want to go out and do something now? It's still fairly early."

But Estonia couldn't have gone out and acted normal even if the prize was instant full Nordic status. "Thank you, but I'm going to go lie down," he murmured. "This was very unusual."

She cocked her head to the side and regarded him. "Perhaps you are closer to the occult than you think. Do you need help getting back to your room?"

Oh, he couldn't possibly let her walk him to his room. If anyone saw them – "No, thanks, I'll make it." He weaved across the room and wrenched the door open. "Good night, ah, Seychelles."

"Good night, Estonia," she said merrily, turning on her television set.

…

_There's no evidence that the people of Seychelles are into the occult at all, but I was trying desperately to find a date theme, so I plugged "Estonia Seychelles" into the anagram generator. It didn't give me anything usable, but the word "séance" came up in a couple of them (stupid things like "Hostile Lye Séances"). So this became the theme of the chapter._

_Next: Spain._


	31. A Steamy Date

**A Steamy Date.**

"Sit on my lap, _tío_," Spain whispered to Estonia, in the back of the movie theatre. "Snuggle up to me."

The Baltic nation was astonished – but also kind of excited. "Everyone will see us!"

"Hah, no. They will be paying attention to the movie." Spain patted his lap. "Come up!"

Estonia hopped onto Spain's lap and did indeed snuggle close. Truth to tell, he'd been intensely sexually frustrated lately, to the point where he'd almost – _almost_ – phoned Hong Kong for a date. Common sense had stopped him, and he'd considered France for a while, too, before remembering that Spain, who was next on the list, had almost as great a reputation as the bearded nation. So he'd called, and tried not to sound too eager (desperate) while asking for the date. Spain had happily agreed, and here they were, nestled together in the back of a Madrid movie theatre. Estonia had even worn his standard uniform, because he knew it made him look trim. He'd hoped that would appeal to the elder nation.

He wrapped his arms tighter around Spain's neck and leaned closer in the dark. The brunet kissed him, and Estonia forgot all about the movie, his dating woes, and just about everything else.

…

Two hours later the theatre began to empty. Estonia felt a little woozy, as well as a little worried. Spain had kept an emergency packet of tissues in his pocket to clean them up after playing! But it had felt oh, so good, and he hoped he'd be invited to spend the night for more leisurely bedtime fun.

They stumbled out into the dark, packed streets of Spain's capital city, laughing and holding each other. Estonia pushed his glasses up his nose and smiled at his host. "Dinner now?"

"Yes, of course." Spain beamed at him. (Well. Spain beamed at everyone.) "You look so adorable in those glasses."

"Thanks?" Whatever! They joined hands and Spain dragged him off to a restaurant.

…

While they were eating they did have a nice, pleasant conversation about both his and his date's national festivals. General nation talk. Estonia felt comfortable, the food was delicious, and he was optimistic. These older nations really did seem to have a better grip on things. He sighed in relief and leaned back in the chair, removing his glasses to clean them.

"Eh? Eh, Estonia, put your glasses back on!"

That was…weird? He hurriedly put them back on. "Is there a problem?"

"N-no, it's all right, _tío._" But Spain changed the subject and they spoke of the upcoming meeting in Japan, of various EU things.

Estonia began to worry a bit because this talk was oh-so-clinical. Where was the flirting, the seductive talk that Spain had murmured into his ear in the theatre? He tried to up the flirtatiousness, but for some reason (the public scene?) this maneuver fell flat; the brunet continued speaking of this and that, nothing in particular.

After the meal Estonia's hopes rose again. It was very late, and surely Spain would invite him to spend the night? He took his date's hand and snuggled up to him.

Spain pecked a kiss on his cheek. "Really adorable," he said, but he didn't sound convinced. "Shall we go to my house? You can spend the night."

Estonia grinned. He was glad his instincts had been accurate. "Sure. Love to." Hand-in-hand they wandered off towards Spain's home.

…

He reached for the bedroom's light switch but Spain stopped him. "We don't need lights, _tío._ Come to the bed. Let me undress you."

"Yes." Estonia put his glasses on the nightstand and allowed Spain full control for the rest of the night. And oh, it was just as good as he'd hoped.

…

In the bright Spanish sunshine the next morning he rolled over and hugged his date. "Good morning, snoozy," Estonia teased playfully, tickling his fingers through the dark hair.

Spain smiled and opened his eyes, and when he saw Estonia in the bed he squeezed them shut again.

What? Surely he hadn't been so drunk that he'd forgotten who he was with?

"Please put your glasses on," the brunet requested.

Estonia, baffled, rolled over and fetched them from the nightstand. As he fixed them in place, he tried to sound nonchalant as he asked about this. "You've been very interested in my glasses all night. What's the issue?"

Spain sighed and rolled onto his back, hands behind his head. "You're really cute, Estonia, and I like how open and – and naïve you seem to be. But I don't think I can date you."

"Why on earth not? What did I do wrong?"

"It's not that. You were lovely, and I had a beautiful time with you. But – but – "

Estonia waited, holding his breath. Spain had a problem with nations who wore glasses? That was really petty.

"But you look so much like _Inglaterra_ that I just can't do it!"

"_What?_"

"Don't you know how much that _maldito bastardo_ irritates me?" Spain was now grinding his teeth so aggressively that Estonia could hear it. "He stole my _tomatito_ from me! He's a pirate, a pirate that I loathe, taking everything that's mine, and when I look at you without your glasses – especially in your uniform – you look a lot like him. Not the ugly eyebrows, at least, but I just can't do it. _Lo siento_, Estonia. I did have a really fun time, as long as I didn't look at you."

Pfft. How idiotic. "You're kidding, right?"

Spain turned to him with a frown. "Of course not."

"Hah. Well, that's never really going to change, you know."

"I know. It makes me a little sad, _tío,_ because we had so much fun, and you were so nice to play with, just like _Francia_ said."

France gossiped about their intimate times? Wow. Maybe Estonia should slow down a little. He didn't want to become known as the slut of the EU. "I guess I'd better go, then," he decided.

"_Sí,_ that would probably be best." Spain flapped a hand towards the nearest bathroom, still not meeting his eye. "There are towels and things in there if you want a shower." Then he did turn and look at the Baltic nation. "I really am sorry."

Estonia was already out of the bed and half-dressed. He wasn't going to hang around here a minute longer than he had to. Well, he was pissed off and rightly so! "If you ever grow up, give me a call," he snapped daringly, as he scooted out of the room, boots in hand.

What an idiot. He slipped on his boots and fled the house, waving for a taxi to take him to the train station.

…

_Next: Switzerland. I know he was supposedly dating Austria in this universe, but they're on-again, off-again so often that I might as well use him, and I want to write their date!_


	32. A Nervewracking Date

**A Nervewracking Date.**

Just before he hit the "Send" button on the email, Estonia had a moment of doubt. Should he really ask Switzerland for a date? He knew the Alpine nation and Austria had broken up once again. What were the actual chances of long-term success with him? As Prussia had pointed out, those two were always breaking up with people and getting back together. Maybe Switzerland wasn't worth a date. Maybe it would be a great date and then he'd break up, wanting to get back with Austria.

Or maybe it wouldn't be a great date. Switzerland wasn't exactly known for his fun-loving nature.

Ah, Estonia decided to send the email anyway. If Switzerland seriously wanted to get back with Austria, he'd say no to the date, and that would be the end of it. And besides…Estonia hated leaving holes in his spreadsheet!

…

When he arrived at Switzerland's house, Liechtenstein answered the door. "Oh! Please come in, Estonia. _Bruder_ told me the two of you have a date tonight. That's so nice!"

"Hi, Liechtenstein." He came in and shook her hand in greeting. Too bad she was dating Iceland. She was totally adorable. He kept holding her hand and smiling at her until he heard a click behind him. Liechtenstein pulled her hand away gently as Estonia turned to see Switzerland pointing a pistol at him. "Ack!" He jumped back.

"Nice to see you," Switzerland grumbled. "Please don't molest my sister."

"Molest? _Molest?_ I was just shaking her hand!" But Estonia was already trembling like an autumn leaf before its fall.

"Don't worry about it," Liechtenstein whispered with a smile, sneaking out of the room.

Don't worry about it? Don't _worry_ about it? Oh, boy. What a bad idea this date had been. But he was committed to it, unless he could make Switzerland change his mind very fast. "Do you still want to g-g-go out tonight?" he managed, wiping his sweaty palms on his jacket.

Switzerland frowned. "Of course. Why would I ask you to come all this way and then say no?" He holstered the pistol and shook Estonia's limp hand. "There's a fair in town. I thought we could go there."

"I love fairs," Estonia blurted out. Well, he did. But – a fair? With Switzerland? He wasn't quite sure he could enjoy himself there.

"Then come on," the Alpine nation said abruptly, grabbing his hand and yanking him out the door.

…

The fair was enormous. Noisy, colorful – the Swiss people certainly knew how to celebrate. "What's the fair for?"

"Springtime."

"Oh. It's very nice. I like all the flowers around."

"Yes." Switzerland took his hand, and they walked on.

Estonia was enchanted by the fair. The smells and sounds of these sorts of things always caught his imagination. He held Switzerland's hand – not too tightly – and tried not to stare like an idiot at the riot of colors and people everywhere.

"May we – will you ride the swing with me?" he asked nervously. But he did love those giant swings. He liked to look out over the land and think about how it used to be, before it had become so overdeveloped.

"Okay." Switzerland let go of his hand and they got in line for the swing.

Because Estonia was focused on the upcoming ride, he didn't pay much attention to his date; when they got to the head of the line he felt quite calm, and excited about the ride. He and Switzerland each got into a swing; he waved and smiled, and the Alpine nation nodded back at him.

The ride began to move. Ah, Estonia really did like this ride best of all carnival rides. He felt the wind in his hair, and gazed out over the spinning Swiss landscape, and – and then he remembered he was on a date with the redoubtable Switzerland, and panicked again.

No. He had to force himself to calm down. He could – he _would_ – break off any relationship that started to develop, because he was almost as nervous around Switzerland as he'd been around Russia. Estonia knew he couldn't deal with that on a long-term basis. But he'd have to try to be strong for the rest of the evening. After all, it was a fair, a festival – not a place to be frightened or tense. And he needed to make sure his date had a good time, too.

So, when the swing ride ended (and he'd spent most of the time on this introspection and not enjoying the ride), he was in a calmer mood, and smiled bravely at his date. "Did you enjoy it?" he asked.

"Yes," Switzerland replied, gesturing down one of the aisles filled with food vendors.

They got funnel cake and ate silently while they wandered the fairgrounds. Estonia thought that maybe India would like to visit a fair like this. They hadn't been spending much time together, but he knew he'd have a lot more fun with India than he was having tonight. Or Greece! He owed Greece an afternoon in Tallinn. He wondered whether Greece would be able to stay awake through a fair. "Hah," he laughed, snorting a little powdered sugar.

"What?" Switzerland flung his cake plate into a trash can.

Whoops. He'd forgotten about his date! "Sorry, just got some – ah – some crumbs down my throat. Are you doing all right? You seem more silent than usual tonight." He held his breath.

"Just not used to being on a date with someone else," Switzerland grumbled, pulling his Luger out and fiddling with it.

Oh, double whoops!

"Instead of Austria, I mean," Switzerland continued.

"Oh. Yes, I know the two of you have been close for a long time."

But the Alpine nation changed the subject. "Let's go to the shooting gallery."

Estonia had no wish to anger his well-armed date, so he agreed, finishing his cake hastily and following.

There were a lot of locals at the shooting gallery. The two nations waited their turn. When a space opened, Switzerland gestured to Estonia to go first. He stepped up, sighted with the carnival rifle, and took his three shots.

Not bad. Not outstanding, of course, but he'd done all right and won a little stuffed cow keychain. "This is adorable," he said, squeezing it.

But Switzerland had stepped up to the rifle to take his shots, and wasn't paying attention. "Be nice now," the carnival worker cautioned. Apparently they recognized him.

His date shot six times and when the last echo had died away, the only thing Estonia could hear was the screams of the carnival worker. He looked at the target: Switzerland had used his Luger, and not the carnival rifle, to shoot it! "Ah, ah – ah – Switzerland, thanks for the date, but I have to go!"

Estonia broke several land speed records getting back to Tallinn that evening.

…

_Next: Taiwan._

_Into the home stretch, folks!_


	33. A Flirty Date

**A Flirty Date.**

Estonia's mood swings had become downright alarming. On the one hand, he was still angry at the White Rose, as he'd begun to think of the mystery nation, because there hadn't been a single indicator of interest since that Halloween kiss. And after his date failure with Switzerland – which he really should have been able to predict – he felt grumpy about relationships in general.

However, on the other hand, he'd mostly been having fun on all these dates, making new friends, and so even if he didn't end up with a lover, he'd still have a new crop of friends. Greece had indeed come to visit him one day, and they'd spent the time pleasantly lounging around his capital city, taking in the sights, and talking about this and that. (Greece had wanted to know whether Estonia would like a pet cat; he'd politely declined.)

So it wasn't a total loss. But there were times, as now, when he wondered just what the White Rose planned to do next. Maybe nothing. Maybe his kissing hadn't been up to snuff.

But he hadn't been _prepared!_ he wailed to himself, whenever this thought occurred to him. Surely if France had been gossiping about their lovemaking, it must have been noteworthy? His kissing couldn't have been that bad.

Drat that mystery nation.

…

Spreadsheet: Taiwan. Very pretty, very feminine. She'd been on the short list for the identity of the White Rose, too. He wondered, and watched her during this meeting, and decided to ask for a dinner date. What the hell. If she wasn't the one, then it might just be a friendly time, but if she was, they'd have some sharp words!

But not too sharp. He wouldn't want to scare her away.

The meeting was pretty dull. Nobody was paying any attention to Romania except his friend Bulgaria, and of course America, who had his elbows on the table, chin in his hands, gazing at the fanged nation with the most blinding grin Estonia had ever seen. Argh.

…

At the end of the meeting, he headed to Taiwan's seat. Yes, there were still a few others in the room, but that didn't bother him anymore; he felt practiced, and at ease. When he reached her, though, he had to turn his back to the podium, because America and Romania were locked in a clinch, kissing as if they hadn't seen each other for years. Bulgaria, apparently equally disturbed, ran out of the room with a scowl.

"Thank you! Yes, I'll have dinner with you." Taiwan packed up her notes for the day. "Do you have a place in mind?"

Estonia named one of the few restaurants he knew in this area. "It's not far. We can walk?" He was optimistic because she'd agreed so readily.

"Of course. Let me take my items to my hotel room, and I'll meet you in the lobby?" She smiled sweetly at him.

Raised voices made them both turn around. Oh. Belarus was smirking at her sister. Ukraine pushed past Taiwan rudely and fled the room.

Estonia turned back to Taiwan. "Yes, let's meet in the lobby." He wanted to get away from Belarus, too!

She nodded, and they left the room together.

…

Estonia didn't dare take her hand yet. "Do you enjoy these meetings?" he wondered. He was trying desperately to work up his nerve and ask about the roses, but caution prompted him to go slowly.

"I wouldn't say _enjoy_," Taiwan laughed as they walked down the street. "It's work. Not really something to be enjoyed."

"That's true."

"But I do like to see all the other nations. It was nice of you to ask me for a date. I'm far too shy to ask, since I don't know the European nations that well."

Hm. That didn't sound like she was particularly interested in him. But – ah! Here was a florist stall! A daring idea popped into his head.

Taiwan stood patiently by, while he bought a white rose from the stall. "For you," he smiled, presenting her with the rose.

She took it with raised eyebrows and a grin. "White roses are particularly nice," she agreed, affixing it in her hair.

Oh! What a good sign. But he'd still be calm and not leap to any conclusions. "It's one of my favorite flowers, too." He dared to reach out and take her hand, and she let him, smiling – was it a secretive, arch smile? Or just her regular look? He hadn't paid enough attention to her to know the difference. But he felt like he was on top of the world.

…

At the restaurant, they ordered wine and sat back to sip while they waited for the meal. "Have you ever been to my country?" she wondered.

"No. In fact, other than meetings, I've spent very little time in Asia." Estonia thought about this. "Only with – ah – Hong Kong." His voice slid into a mumble as these words came out. He hoped the time he'd spent with the clingy nation wouldn't make a problem for him and his White Rose.

"Hong Kong can be a bit pushy," she agreed with that secretive smile again.

The meal came, but Estonia barely tasted it. He was so excited he didn't know what to say or do, and he knew he was sitting there grinning like a brainless idiot, but he was almost positive Taiwan was the White Rose. They continued making small talk throughout the meal, but he had developed quite a few _plans_ for afterwards. For one thing, he wanted a long, cuddly talk about the whole rose-giving business. He'd like to hear what had motivated her, and why she'd been content to wait so long.

He'd totally forgotten his plan to berate the mystery nation for neglecting him.

…

After dinner he suggested a stroll around town, and she agreed. They joined hands again, and he walked close to her, smelling her faint floral perfume. "I don't remember what your Halloween costume was," he said vaguely. He'd been trying to remember, all night; reliving that mysterious kiss.

Still cozy against him, she glanced up with a small frown. "What Halloween costume?"

"At Romano's house. When you –" Common sense put the brakes on the rest of that sentence.

"I didn't go to Romano's for Halloween. I was busy that weekend."

Estonia's eyes grew wide and he stopped walking, shocked into silence. "Uh?" he blurted out, dropping her hand.

"Are you all right?" She reached her hand up to his forehead. "Estonia! Are you all right?"

He couldn't think. Couldn't do anything. She hadn't been at Romano's? Then she wasn't the White Rose. "Uh," he said again.

"Do you need to sit down?" Taiwan tried to lead him to a park bench, but he shook her off.

"I – ah – "

"Please, what's wrong?" She took both his hands but, panicking, he yanked them away. Her face fell, and the delicate frown disappeared.

"I'm – sorry," he finally told her. "I thought you were someone else."

"You _what?_" Taiwan stepped back from him with a frown. "What are you talking about?"

But he couldn't go into it. His brain just kept chanting _Not Taiwan, not Taiwan,_ over and over, and he coughed out another "Uh" while trying to think of something to say.

She raised an eyebrow. "Estonia, you're weird. I think I'm going back to the hotel now. Thanks for dinner."

"I can – can walk you –"

"Never mind," she said, hurrying to the road and flagging down a taxi.

Estonia stood watching long after the taxi had gone, and then stumbled to the park bench, collapsing into it. Now what?

…

_Next: Thailand._


	34. A Culinary Date

**A Culinary Date.**

Estonia skipped the rest of the meetings that week and went straight home. Then he got very, very drunk.

Oh, he was maudlin. Weepy and miserable. Why had he started this idiotic project? That was phase one of his drunken state. He lay around on the floor of his living room, swilling wine and cursing himself for even thinking of it. Damn those enticing spreadsheets!

Phase two was feeling sorry for himself. Why hadn't he been able to hit it off with anyone? N-no, he hazily told himself, he'd hit it off well with Canada, India, Greece – even Bulgaria and Hong Kong had been great dates to begin with.

He moved on to phase three. Forget the whole thing! Just be alone for the rest of his life, always rooming with Latvia and running away from Russia and his psychotic sister…Estonia drank some more and began crying. After all, what were the chances that Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine or Vietnam would be perfect partners? (And even though any of the four of them could possibly be the White Rose, he didn't even care about that any longer. It had been so long since they'd had any contact at all, and – and the memory of his night with Taiwan made him feel so, so stupid…) He sobbed some more, and lay down on the rug in front of his fireplace.

After another few drinks, though, came renewed determination. There were only four more to go. (He discounted the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, of course; that nation was only a child.) Four more and he could complete the alphabet and his spreadsheet, too. And after that? "Screw the whole world!" he yelled, smashing the empty wine bottle in the fireplace. He hiccupped, and then headed to take a very hot shower.

…

In the morning, much of this monologue had been forgotten, except for the resolve to finish the alphabet. He slept very late, until his hangover was completely gone, and then typed a rather casual email to Thailand, asking if he could come over and see Bangkok this weekend. If Thailand said no, he'd just stay home and try to get caught up on the work he missed. And he could just put a big fat X on Thailand's spreadsheet cell and forget about it. Frankly, at this point that was exactly what he expected. He did feel he was getting some kind of mildly unsavory reputation, and he really wouldn't have minded calling off the whole project, but he was a completionist, so he kept going.

Thailand's answer came back so fast Estonia worried it might be a joke. That nation would be happy to hang out with him on Saturday, and show him around his country.

Well. Estonia could be suspicious about this, or he could simply go. He waffled, but in the end he made the decision he'd known he'd make. This Saturday, he'd head to Thailand's place.

…

"Hello! Oh, don't bother coming inside. It's a great day. Let's go see the city!"

Estonia shrugged. "Okay. Where shall we go first?"

"Hmm. I think it would be nicest to show you…Rattanakosin Island. There are a lot of nice things there to look at."

"Great! Let's go."

…

For almost an hour Thailand, with his eyes sparkling behind his glasses, was an expert tour guide. He showed Estonia all sorts of things in his capital, historic as well as modern. He'd left his pet elephant at home, and the blond was happy about that. Elephants in general were too distracting.

Soon they came to a little tea shop. "Let's stop and have some refreshment," Thailand smiled.

"I don't mind. I'm interested in the cuisine of all the cultures of the world."

"Oh! Is that why you started this project? It's fascinating. Someday maybe you could give me your notes. I'd like to try some kind of project like that, too."

Inwardly, Estonia snorted; he'd never give _these_ notes to anyone! "Maybe," he offered instead. They sat and he allowed Thailand to order them drinks and snacks.

"Which country would you say is your favorite? If you've reached the T's, you must have visited a fair number of them."

"Every country has its merits," Estonia said tactfully. Though frankly he wouldn't be heading back to Cuba or Cameroon anytime soon! "Your country is diverse and fascinating."

"Psh. Bangkok isn't indicative of the whole country. If you like, we can do a tour of the whole land, seeing the remoter areas as well?"

Estonia sipped his delicious iced tea. "Perhaps. Not this weekend, though. I haven't planned for a whole long trip." Caution was going to be his watchword from now on. No random nights of sex! No throwing himself at other nations!

"Oh, certainly not this weekend, Estonia. I've got things to do, you know." But Thailand smiled at him and nibbled on something.

"These are very tasty! What is this?" The Baltic nation picked up an unfamiliar snack, glazed and shaped like an insect. "It's very clever, how your cooks make them look like crickets."

Thailand laughed as Estonia crunched the delicacy. "It is a cricket! We eat them all the time here, deep-fried." Oblivious to his guest's rising horror, the host pushed a bowl of dip closer. "Try it dipped in this sauce. It's fantastic."

Estonia grabbed the rest of his tea to wash down the piece of cricket that he'd been chewing. "You're joking."

"I'm not joking at all. I thought you'd know something like that. It's all over the internet. I did a little research about your country before you got here – didn't you read up on Thailand?" He laughed and laughed at the blond's sheepish expression. "Ah, don't worry about it. Have another cricket."

"N-no, thank you, but I would like some more tea, please."

Thailand laughed and ordered more tea and some more snacks.

Well, that had been a bit disgusting, but certainly no reason to call off a date. Plenty of countries had weird cuisine, and now he could at least say he'd eaten them. Hmm. In fact, maybe he should be bold and try some of the other snacks on the table (though they all looked like bugs) just to be more manly, so he could trot that out in conversation someday.

When the new tea came with new plates of fried insects, he sipped, and then grabbed a giant bug that turned out to be _maeng da. _"Urgh," he said, washing them down too. "What on earth was that?"

"Ha ha! The _maeng da _is known for its strong flavor. It's a – giant waterbug?" Thailand thought about this while Estonia tried not to gag, finishing his entire new glass of tea in record time. "Yes, I think that's what you'd call it." Here he noticed the empty tea glass. "More tea?"

"Yes, please, and – and where's the men's room?"

Thailand directed him there, and he escaped. All the tea was threatening to burst his bladder.

Right. There was no reason to be squeamish about eating bugs. Thai people did it all the time! He'd bet a lot of nations did it. So, he could be a man about it. Of course, he would not eat any _more_ of them while he was here, but at least he wasn't about to vomit up the ones he'd already eaten.

Urgh. Just that thought made him feel queasy. He washed his hands and hurried back to Thailand, hoping they could get on with the city tour.

But his host was reclined in a chair, lazily eating handfuls of insects. "Everything okay?"

"Yes, thank you." Estonia sat down and began to sip his third glass of tea more carefully. "More snacks?"

"Yeah, I got tired of waiting around. I love this place. Here, look." He pointed to a bowl. "These are all right. Just slices of melon with a little cinnamon."

"That sounds very nice." Estonia took one and nibbled on it, gazing around the area, beginning to relax. "What will we do next?" he asked. It was past lunchtime, and so he decided to top up on the snacks instead of asking Thailand to stop for lunch separately.

"Oh, I don't know. Let's wait until we've finished our snacks." Thailand ordered more melon and some other fresh fruit.

Good idea. Estonia was still hungry.

The snacks came; they ate, speaking of Thailand's national festivals and then the Baltic ones, drinking and enjoying the hustle and bustle of the area.

Eventually the plates and glasses were empty. Estonia looked at his watch and was amazed to find they'd spent three hours at this unassuming little place! "I'm going to the rest room again," he decided, not wanting to be sightseeing and looking for a bathroom at the same time.

"Okay. I'll wait here." Thailand waved to him as he headed off.

The snacks hadn't been too bad. He'd been cautious enough to ask about each one before he tried it, though things like mango and peach were pretty obvious from the way they looked. Thailand, though, had crunched down veritable mountains of insects with various dips and sauces. Estonia had to metaphorically tip his hat to his new friend. It couldn't be easy, eating them all the time.

When he got back to the table he was amazed to see a new assortment of dishes! "What's all this?" He stood by the chair.

Thailand raised his tea glass in a toast. "Sit down! Sit down. These are some different things we haven't tried yet."

Estonia sat down, but he wasn't happy. "Are you planning that we'll just stay here and eat all day?"

"Don't see why not." The host lazily stirred his iced tea. "It's tasty, and comfortable. Why? Do you have a problem with it? I can take the leftovers home to Toto."

"I – I thought we'd spend more time sightseeing!"

"Oh. Well, I guess we can do that some other time. Have some more tea." The brunet reached over with the pitcher of iced tea and poured some for Estonia.

"Ah, thanks, Thailand, but if I eat or drink any more I'll burst. I need to walk around, get some exercise."

Thailand shrugged. "Suit yourself. Stop by here if you're passing this way again. I'll see you! Thanks for coming over!"

With that, the host turned his attention to the plates on the table. The nonplussed blond rose from the table and began to slowly walk away, darting looks back at him, but Thailand never glanced his way.

Not wanting to wander the city on his own, Estonia simply headed for the airport, still sloshing a little. What a waste of a day.

…

_Next: Turkey!_


	35. A Roaring Date

**A Roaring Date.**

"Estonia!" Turkey yelled, when he opened his front door. He _yelled!_ Even though Estonia was standing right there?

He might as well get into the spirit of things. "Turkey!" he yelled back, laughing.

"Boy, am I glad to see you! I need a diversion." Turkey's voice got marginally less loud, and he stepped outside. "Come on! Let's go see downtown Ankara." He grabbed Estonia by the hand and started dragging him down the street, keeping up a monologue the whole way. "I know we'll never get to see the whole thing, but we can start at one end, and if you ever come back, we can pick up where we left off! Yeah? Right!"

Estonia laughed and hurried to keep up. He'd already known he wouldn't want Turkey to be his boyfriend – his loud conduct at meetings was amusing, but the Baltic nation knew he himself couldn't put up with that roaring confidence in a lover all the time. He needed someone quieter. But he'd been bored and annoyed about nation things (as well as needing closure), so he'd phoned up Turkey to have a fun afternoon. And here they were.

"Get in the cab!"

"Okay!"

…

Their first stop was a statue of Kemal Atatürk. "Very famous," Estonia knew. "Even as far away as my country, we know of the important reforms he put forth."

"Yes! He's the Father of the Turks, you know!" Turkey tilted his head back to look at the statue. "He's totally awesome!"

"I know," Estonia laughed. "Come on. Show me something else."

"All right!" Turkey adjusted his turban and strode off, leaving his guest to scurry after him.

…

A whirlwind tour of ancient digs later, Estonia was definitely feeling the pain. "How on earth do you stay so energetic?" he wondered aloud.

"Coffee! Turkish coffee!" Turkey beamed at him. "In fact I'm overdue for some. Let's go."

The blond nodded, but remembering the bugs in Thailand he became determined not to eat any unknown food. They hurried off to a small café.

But he had no need to worry. Turkey ordered them coffee, yes, but also fruit and yogurt. "I have a ton of food that other nations find exotic," the host nation told him, "but I don't like to scare visitors away with anything too weird right off the bat! Ha ha!"

Before Estonia could respond, Turkey drew out a camera and flagged down a waitress. "Yes?" she asked.

"Could you take a picture of me with my friend Estonia?" he boomed, shifting their chairs closer together.

"Of course, sir! It would be my honor." Turkey put his arm around his guest and the two of them smiled into the camera as the waitress took the picture.

When she handed the camera back they peeked at it. "Good one! You look good in pictures, eh?" Turkey clapped him on the back.

"I want some coffee!" Estonia laughed, picking up his cup.

Together the two new friends drank coffee and ate fruits dipped in yogurt. "This is the perfect summer meal," Estonia decided.

"Don't I know it! It's awesome!"

Feeling bold, the visitor decided to ask a question. "Do you ever calm down?"

"Not much! But seriously, no. I mean, why bother? I'm loud and proud!"

"I can see that," Estonia grinned, and Turkey burst into uproarious laughter.

"I like you! We should hang out more often. Got a meeting coming up in China. We can find some fun restaurants or something. Go up on the Great Wall, maybe have a picnic?"

"Sounds okay to me." Though if either Ukraine or Vietnam worked out as a date, he might not be that free to socialize with Turkey. He was planning to call Ukraine for a date before that China meeting, and if she wasn't the White Rose, well…it had to be Vietnam, didn't it? So he'd ask Vietnam when they got to the meeting in China. Ah, he'd cross that bridge when he came to it. For now, he'd enjoy his day with the masked nation.

Several cups of coffee and short discourses on Turkey's tourism later, the two of them got up for "Phase two!" Turkey picked him up in a giant bear hug. "I feel even more exuberant than usual, today. Wonder if that's your influence?"

"I doubt it." Estonia adjusted his glasses; they'd been knocked askew by the hug. "I'm not a very exuberant guy."

"But that's really nothing to do with it. Prussia's exuberant, and he doesn't get me wound up like this. It may just be that I'm overexerting myself to impress a guest?" Turkey took off his turban and scratched his head, and then put the headgear back on. "Well, whatever. Come on! Let's go see something."

"All right!"

…

At the end of the day Estonia had to admit he'd had an awful lot of fun. As a host, as a tour guide, Turkey was enormously entertaining. They'd gone to almost every corner of the city, seeking out interesting places, getting food from street vendors and stopping for coffee every now and then. It was almost midnight, and Estonia felt like he was going to drop.

"Hang in there. I'll get you to the airport."

"Thank you, Turkey. Not just for that, but for the amazing day we've had. I learned so much!"

"Yep! My place is a fun place. Not like Greecey," he said with a bit of venom.

But Estonia defended Greece's place too, since they were friends.

"Eh. Maybe. Still, you've got good memories of my home, now! You'll have to come back sometime!"

"I'd love to, Turkey – once I recover!"

The two of them laughed tiredly together as Turkey drove to the airport.

"Take care," he boomed out, hugging the Baltic nation. "See you in China."

"See you there!"

Estonia boarded the plane and collapsed into a fitful sleep. A fun day! Productive and exhausting. He had a ton of notes to make when he got home.

…

_Next: Ukraine._


	36. A Fumbling Date

**A Fumbling Date.**

Estonia adjusted his tie and glasses, pacing around his living room. Tonight he had a dinner date scheduled with Ukraine. She'd hesitantly requested that they dine in Tallinn, instead of at her place, and that suited him just fine.

He was quite agitated, for a number of reasons. First of all, it was possible that Ukraine was the White Rose. That would be – interesting. She met all the criteria: shy, didn't use the Western alphabet, and had been at Romano's Halloween party. There was a very good chance she was the one.

Second of all, he was worried about her connection with Russia. Of course she'd understand his particular dislike of her brother, because she and Estonia did know one another somewhat, from those times under Russia's roof. But she was apparently still on good terms with him, and that could make a relationship difficult for the Baltic nation.

Last, but by no means least, he was – well – he was downright nervous about the possibility of a physical relationship with her! He'd never been with such a _girly_ girl before. Estonia preferred boys, or slim women like Bela—like _Liechtenstein_. Ukraine was very curvaceous, and he knew a lot of men loved that look, but he didn't. He wasn't quite sure how he'd fare, if they got as far as the bedroom.

He paced some more. Yes, he was nervous, but he was also intrigued to see what happened tonight. He'd do his best. It would be kind of sad if she turned out to be the White Rose and then the date was a complete failure due to something gauche on his part.

…

"H-hello," Ukraine said nervously, when he answered the door.

"P-please come in," he invited, opening it wide and extending a hand to her. She did look striking tonight, in a sleek-but-not-tight red dress that hugged all her bounteous curves, and high-heeled black shoes. Ukraine carried an elegant black handbag and wore sultry makeup as well. The overall glamorous effect was somewhat spoiled, he felt, by the pink plastic bow clip in her hair, but, whatever. "Was your trip all right?" He drew her into the living room, where he'd set up a little mini-bar on a side table.

"It was n-not bad, I suppose." She smiled at him, her expression somewhat wobbly. "I took the train. It was – was nice to see the countryside."

Whoo, boy, Estonia was nervous, and it sounded like she was too. "May I mix you a drink?" This was the only thing he could think of to say.

"Thank you," she nodded, walking meekly into the center of the room.

He barely paid any attention to what he was mixing, and hoped that she'd like it. Estonia mixed one up for himself, too, a splash of this, little of that.

They clinked their glasses together in a toast before drinking. The taste barely registered with him, as agitated as he was; he knocked the whole thing back in one gulp. But it must have been bad. "Oh, Estonia, this drink is much too strong!" Ukraine began to cough, but instead of covering her mouth politely, she crossed her free arm against her chest. What for? Oh…to stop the bouncing? Estonia nearly choked.

"I'm so sorry," he blurted, taking the glass from her and drinking it all himself in a panic. At that point she did raise her other hand to her mouth, continuing to cough.

"Forgive me," she whispered, biting her lacquered lip, after the coughing had subsided.

Estonia felt a little sloshy from having downed two drinks in quick succession. "Let's go to the restaurant," he suggested wildly, at a loss for what else to do.

"Yes, of course." Ukraine took his proffered arm and they went out to call a cab, both a little unsteadily.

…

The cab ride was uneventful. Estonia kept dithering about taking her hand, reaching for it and then withdrawing. His head was slightly muzzy and in the end he decided it was better not to take it. Ukraine was staring out the window of the cab, tapping her fingers against her handbag. At one point it fell on the floor of the cab and both of them awkwardly reached for it, knocking their heads together. "I'm - I'm so sorry," Estonia mumbled.

"It's all right." Ukraine bit her lip.

When the cab pulled up to the restaurant, Estonia stumbled getting out, but managed to catch himself on the car door before falling flat on his face, which would have been possibly the most miserable thing he'd ever done on one of these dumb dates. He righted himself, straightening his tie, and turned to help Ukraine out of the cab. She had to maneuver herself in a funny way to fit through the door opening, but she finally got out, swaying a little. Estonia paid the cab driver and led his date into the restaurant.

"Good evening, Mr. Von Bock," the hostess said, smiling at him. He'd made reservations here and asked them to specifically seat them _not_ at a secluded, intimate table, but out in the open. He would feel less pressured to be sweet and seductive that way.

The hostess led them to the table. Estonia pulled out the chair for Ukraine and she sat down, staring around the place with an excited expression on her face. "This is a very nice place!"

"Thank you. It's one of my favorites." He checked the table, and yes, the vase with white roses was there. He'd asked the restaurant to specifically take care of that for him. Feeling much calmer, he sat down, and Ukraine sneezed. "_Terviseks_," Estonia added.

"Thank you." She picked up a napkin and blotted her eyes with it.

"H-have you been to any Estonian restaurants before?" He wanted to call her attention to the white roses, but not blatantly. He had to think about how to do this.

"No, I haven't. I suppose many of your dishes are similar to mine, or to my brother Russia's?"

Estonia shuddered. "I suppose they may be." He handed her a menu. "Would you like wine?"

"Yes, please."

So he chose a wine from the list before returning to his own menu. Ukraine sneezed again, but this time she crossed her arms over her chest and sneezed all over the table! "Bless you," he offered again.

"S-sorry. I don't know what – _oh!_" She gestured towards the roses. "I'm allergic to roses. Could we get the waiter to take them away?" She sneezed once more, spraying germs again, because her arms were tight around her body.

Estonia fought a snappy and nasty retort and called the waiter over, and he took the vase away.

…

After the halfhearted meal – during which both of them had stammered, blushed, and (in Ukraine's case) coughed a bit – he suggested a walk. This was a very bad date, but he still didn't want her going home thinking badly of him. She might say something about it to Russia, and then where would he be? So Estonia exerted himself to be very nice to her and offered his arm as they walked.

Despite her high heels Ukraine seemed to be comfortable. At least physically. They walked together in the dark without speaking much. Estonia could feel her – her _bosom_ rubbing against his arm. It was distracting and frightening. He really hoped Ukraine didn't want to go to bed with him! But then, what if she told Russia that Estonia hadn't wanted to sleep with her? Really, he was probably damned if he did, and damned if he didn't, so he decided not to bother. He kept up a river of small talk as they wandered.

The colder air made Ukraine press closer; Estonia began to babble. She sneezed again, letting go of him to brace herself. "E-Estonia, I'm so sorry. I thought it was the roses at dinner, but I suppose I'm actually coming down with a cold."

This could be his saving grace! Nobody would expect him to take advantage of a woman with a cold. "Would you like to go home?" he asked nicely.

"I think that might be best. Thank you."

He waved to a taxi, which took them to the train station. Ukraine gave him a quick peck on the cheek before boarding.

"I had a nice dinner," he lied.

"M-me, me too." She turned to board the train and he watched her jiggle as she climbed the steps. Soon she was out of sight.

Estonia turned to go home. Of course he was torn up about the White Rose – but on the other hand, Ukraine _not_ being the White Rose was a great relief! He went back home, whistling and jaunty despite the late hour, and fixed up his spreadsheet before bed. The China meeting was in two weeks, and Vietnam would be there.

While lying in bed trying to fall asleep, he planned an entire rose-festooned date before realizing roses might not be readily available in China. Ah, he'd do his best. Make a paper rose or something, if he couldn't get real ones.

He fell asleep with a smile on his face, having completely put his Ukraine date out of his mind.

…

_Next: Vietnam._

_"Terviseks" is "Gesundheit." Thanks to Kr6lluke for helping with that._


	37. Jumping to Conclusions

**Jumping to Conclusions.**

Estonia was so happy today. He'd get to spend time with the pretty Vietnam, take in a little local sightseeing, find out about the white rose business…yeah. Everything was going to be fantastic, a great conclusion to a long time of searching and failing. He hurried down the hotel steps and into the conference room, his eyes seeking hers.

Oh boy. She was already seated, right between Macau and – and Hong Kong! That meant he couldn't flirt with her during the meeting. If Hong Kong thought the flirting was for him –

So Estonia got his Chinese breakfast and sat at an empty seat, near Cyprus. That nation was holding Canada's hand. They'd been together for a very long time, he realized. Over a year now. That made him sad, but when he remembered the White Rose mystery was solved, he cheered right back up again.

China started the meeting.

Estonia didn't pay much attention during the morning half. He archived the spreadsheet, spent time on Wikipedia reading about Vietnam's country, darted his eyes to her from time to time. She was doing a very good job of focusing on the meeting. He might almost believe that she wasn't interested in him at all. Talk about a poker face!

At the lunch break he planned to ask her to dinner, but then China decreed that they would work through lunch and try to get the whole day's agenda finished earlier in the afternoon. Ah, that would be fine too. More time to be together at night.

So the meeting went on.

Estonia, trying to impress her, now participated with great vigor. He could tell people were surprised at this: even America and Romania stopped petting and flirting with each other and stared worriedly at him every time he spoke. But he felt strong and confident, and their combined regard didn't stop him from offering sound opinions and wise solutions.

…

The meeting did end early. Nations poured out of the room, laughing and joking. Estonia waited nervously to make sure Hong Kong would be out of earshot, and when he was gone, the Baltic nation crossed to Vietnam and sat in the chair by her side. "Hello," he smiled, making his voice rich and deep.

"H-hello? Estonia, isn't it?" she asked.

How playful. "Yes. Will you have dinner with me tonight?"

Her eyes widened. "Oh, I couldn't possibly do that! Hong Kong would be exceedingly angry with me!" She turned bright red and leaped out of the chair, grabbing all her things and running out of the conference room.

Estonia simply stared after her with his mouth agape. Eh?

Several seconds later he realized what an idiot he must look like. Depressed beyond measure, he sank his head into his arms, down on the table, taking shaky breaths. All he wanted now was for the remaining nations to leave the room, so he could sneak out and go be ashamed in his room. Alone.

The entire alphabet! The _entire alphabet_ and no partner! He vowed never to look at another spreadsheet again. And the stupid White Rose…had that all actually happened? Maybe he'd dreamed it all. How stupid, how stupid…Estonia just wanted to crawl into a hole and die.

And then he felt a gentle touch on his shoulder. "Are you through now? You've gone through the whole alphabet, I know. I – I've been waiting for you. I'm – so sorry it took me this long to get my courage up."

Slowly, disbelieving – _that voice!_ – Estonia raised his head from the table, seeing a white rose in a strong hand, looked up further to meet the blushing, intent face of the nation who had spoken. _"You?"_

…

_Next: The White Rose._


	38. The White Rose

_One reviewer guessed right! And now she doesn't have to throw herself out the window._

…

**The White Rose.**

Estonia blinked in amazement. Hadn't he just felt a hand on his shoulder? "But – but – "

"Are you angry with me?" Bulgaria asked quietly, with a nervous expression on his face. He sat in the chair next to Estonia and gently set the rose on the polished bamboo tabletop. "I – I know this was probably not the smartest way to handle it, but I didn't know what else to do. I don't – don't have a lot of experience with, ah, with romance." This came out in a trembling whisper.

"N-no, I'm not angry." Truthfully? He was completely amazed. "You – ah – but you –"

"Will you go to dinner with me? I'll explain everything you want to know."

Estonia looked at him. Really looked. And he could see that Bulgaria was completely serious, and very fearful. Well, who wouldn't be? After all this?

And yet, Bulgaria, who didn't like to be touched, had just touched him! Bulgaria had once _kissed him!_ Estonia was suddenly burning with the need to know all. "Yes, please," he smiled, trying to encourage the Balkan. "Let's find a quiet place where we can talk. I have so many questions!"

At that, the sweetest smile graced Bulgaria's face, and his gloveless hand reached out to lightly touch Estonia's cheek. It felt like the warm, velvet petal of a rose caressing his skin. "Thank you. Thank you for giving me a chance." He affixed the white rose into Estonia's buttonhole and they left the hotel together.

On the way to the restaurant, Estonia's mind was a whirl. Bulgaria had said he'd known about the alphabet project. How could that be? He'd never mentioned it to anyone else.

The two of them walked slowly, their hands clasped together. They'd agreed to save all the discussions until they'd been seated in a restaurant, so neither spoke as they proceeded. Estonia wondered whether he could lace their fingers together. Darting a quick peek at his date, who smiled back nervously, he began to do this, and felt a big weight off his heart when Bulgaria eagerly opened his fingers and allowed it. He squeezed happily, and so did Bulgaria, and Estonia knew that no matter what weird explanations his new – new _boyfriend!_ – would give, everything would be fine.

…

"I liked you so much, Estonia, up until you kissed me. I – I'd read a lot about your country and culture before our date, and it sounded like a very interesting place, quite different from mine. I also knew you had a sort of – well – a thing about Russia, you know, a – a fear thing, and I have that too. I didn't expect it to be a bonding point, but at least if I freaked out around him, I knew you'd understand. He's part of the reason I don't like to be touched.

"That night we spent together – our date – everything was just as good as I'd hoped. You are so intelligent, Estonia, and so beautiful to look at; your voice is sweet, and – well – everything about you made me very happy, right up until you kissed me."

"I'm so sorry about that. You're so very handsome yourself, and I just – just – " Estonia didn't know how to explain the depths of his desire for Bulgaria back then. Didn't want to scare him away. Yes, apparently the brunet had touched him _(kissed him!)_, but he didn't know how far that new physicality actually went.

"Please don't distress yourself. When I got home that night I was still panicking, but over the next week or so I was able to calm down about it. By that point I was just angry that you hadn't listened to me. The actual touching, k-kissing, I had gotten over." Bulgaria grinned ruefully. "Had to admit to myself that I'd liked it. It was flattering, you know, that you couldn't keep your hands off me."

Estonia smiled too. Maybe someday he'd tell him about the way black leather always looked so sexy, or what he'd wanted to do with the Belgian chocolates…

Bulgaria cleared his throat and continued. "I started letting myself – _forcing_ myself – to think about what it would be like, to seriously be with you. There was no one else I really wanted. So I sent you the flowers that first time; I thought that would buy me some time to work up my nerve. I – I didn't realize you were going through a list of nations, yet, at that point."

"H-how did you find out? I never told anyone."

"Simple observation. I had hoped you'd be free, when I finally got the courage to say something, but you kept going out with others. I saw you with Egypt, then France, then Hong Kong, and then at a meeting you asked Japan for a date. It was fairly easy to see that you were on some kind of alphabetical mission."

"I guess you think that's dorky." Estonia felt himself blushing; he plucked at the hem of the white linen tablecloth. The waitress brought their meals, and they began to poke the food around on the plate, neither wanting to interrupt their conversation just yet.

When she'd gone, Bulgaria spoke again, shrugging. "If that's what works out for you, then who am I to judge? It just made me a little sad. I couldn't decide whether I should interrupt your progress or let you keep going. There were a lot of nations in the alphabet, between Japan and Vietnam."

"Why didn't you interrupt?"

Bulgaria sighed. "I – I thought there might be – there probably _was_ – some nation you'd like better than me. Someone you'd find true – ahem – true love with, more easily." He cleared his throat nervously. "And I wanted you to be happy."

Estonia's eyes burned, so he blinked a few times to keep the tears from falling. He reached out a hand and the brunet took it, and for a moment they simply held onto each other quietly. "Tell me about this," Estonia whispered. "Tell me how you are able to hold my hand?"

"I felt like an idiot, you know. Romania's the only nation I spend a lot of time with, and he knew all about my phobia and he was always careful not to touch me. But I kept thinking about being with you, and I knew you'd never bother dating someone you couldn't touch. So I – I asked Romania to help me. I hope you don't mind."

"Mind what?"

"Well, we practiced by holding hands, at first. And I got to a point where I was casually touching him while we talked, or whatever, though I still had my gloves on. But then I knew that if I ever did get to be with you, holding hands wasn't going to suffice, right?" He smiled. "So Romania helped me learn how to kiss. We – we practiced until I was comfortable with it. I do hope you're not offended by that."

"How could I possibly be offended?" Estonia smiled too. "You took such bold steps, and you didn't even know if we'd end up together. I'm actually quite honored, Bulgaria. More than you can imagine." He blinked a few more times. This brave nation's attention was filling in all those lonely places in his heart, all those places that had been neglected for so long. Estonia just wanted to hold him close and never let him go.

Bulgaria's answering smile was sweet. "That's why he went to the bathroom."

"What?" Well, that had certainly broken the mood.

"Romania! When we were at Romano's house for Halloween? He made sure you would be alone, and then he went into the bathroom and used some magic to make all the lights go out, so I could sneak up and k-kiss you." Bulgaria's face was bright red and pleading.

"M-magic?" Not that Estonia believed in it. But then how did the lights _just happen_ to go out at the correct moment? "J-just so you could kiss me?"

"I was so terrified," Bulgaria confessed. "Scared the lights would come on too soon, and you'd be upset that it was me."

"I wouldn't have been upset. Worried, maybe, because Romania was my date, and I wouldn't want to embarrass him by kissing someone else. Or maybe I'd just have been confused," he laughed. "I'm – I'm glad the lights didn't come on. It would have been awkward for both of us."

"Yes." Bulgaria squeezed his hand again, and then they let go and tried to focus on their meals. "Are we –? Will you date me now, Estonia?"

The Baltic nation looked up from his untouched salmon and smiled. "I can't think of another nation I'd want to be with more," he confessed. "That would be wonderful." Embarrassed (because he didn't really have a lot of experience with romance, either), he took off his glasses and polished them with his napkin.

Bulgaria leaned close and planted a shy little butterfly kiss on his ear. "Thank you, _Estonija_. Thank you so very much!"

Estonia put his glasses back on with a grin and reached for his companion's hand. When he was sure no one else in the restaurant was watching, he lifted it to his mouth and kissed Bulgaria's fingers, watching the blush spread across his boyfriend's face.

Oh, it had all been worth it. Every failed date, every awkward humiliation. "Forget this dinner. Let's just pay them and go."

"Yes," Bulgaria grinned, throwing a couple of bills on the table and rising. "Come on."

…

_Whew! Thank you all for reading my story. _

_When the white roses started appearing, I wasn't even sure who the giver would be. I was leaning towards Canada, but then realized that Canada would just ask, and Estonia would say yes, and that would be the end of the story! And there is too little Bulgaria fanfiction that isn't RomaBul, so I wanted to change things around a little. I chose Bulgaria at some point before Estonia asked Japan for a date. _

_Look for EstiBul to appear in future stories of mine, including "Under the Rowan Tree."_


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